A Sorta Fairytale
by linnybug
Summary: Bella Swan is a 20-year-old au pair for a widower named Carlisle Cullen. On a summer trip to Ireland, she meets Carlisle's bad seed nephew, Edward. Rated M because, well, you know me...
1. Chapter 1

BPOV

**So, the au pair story seems to be the idea with the biggest response. Here, I give you "A Sorta Fairy Tale" (and yes, I nicked the title from a Tori Amos song – she is, after all, a Goddess)**

**BPOV**

**Thursday, May 1st, 2008**

I was about to fall asleep on the tube heading to my job interview.

My name is Bella Swan, a 20-year-old American ex-patriot who has been living in London for the past two years.

As soon as I was legally considered an "adult," I left the States and headed to the UK; something just always told me I belonged here. But, without much college education, I find myself simply picking up odd jobs while trying to go to school. Today, I'm going to talk to a young widower who needs an au pair for his two kids.

Being an only child, I was a little nervous about taking on a job like this – plus, I've never really liked kids -- but, the pay was right. 800 pounds a week, plus free room and board! This guy must be pretty loaded – which could also mean that his kids are complete spoiled brats. But, I guess that's something I can live with; after all, this will only be temporary. The ad for the job said it will only be for the summer.

I was guessing that his man, Carlisle Cullen, had decided to make the appointment at 7 in the morning in order to test how committed I really am. I'd show him; it doesn't get more committed than leaving home at 18 to live in a country more than 4,000 miles away from my family.

I arrived at this beautiful house in Kensington and rang the bell at the gate; a voice came over the intercom: "Yes?"

"My name is Isabella Swan; I have an interview for 7 a.m. for the au pair job."

"Come in, Miss Swan."

The gates opened; I took a deep breath and walked up the massive driveway to the door. I lifted the huge door knocker and slammed it down, wincing at how loud a sound it made. I hope he doesn't hold that against me.

A woman answered, "Miss Swan?"

I nodded.

"This way."

She led me down an enormous corridor and into an office where a man sat at a large, mahogany desk. The lady coughed to get his attention.

"Mr. Cullen, your 7 a.m. appointment is here."

"Oh," he said, sounding a bit frazzled. "Send her in."

I walked up to the desk as he reached out to shake my hand; I accepted it with a bit more aggression than I had intended. Calm down, Swan; don't blow this.

"Hello, Miss Swan, right?" He asked, taking out a piece of paper I assumed was his copy of my resume.

"Yes, it's very nice to meet you, Mr. Cullen."

"Please, Isabella, call me Carlisle."

"OK...and it's just Bella."

"Bella," he smiled at me. "I really like that name."

"Thank you."

"So, do you have much experience with kids?"

"A bit," I said. "I've been working at a daycare center for about a year now. I'm trained in CPR and first aid, and I'm studying to earn a teaching certificate at City University."

"You want to be a teacher?"

"Yes."

He nodded as he made a note on my resume; I hate it when prospective employers are so cryptic.

"Are you on break now?"

"Yes, for the summer."

"When do you have to be back in school?"

"Not until September."

"Excellent; so tell me a bit about yourself. You're an American, right?"

I nodded.

"Where does your family live?"

"My parents are back in Washington."

"D.C.?"

"No, Washington State."

"Any brothers or sisters?"

"Only child."

"What made you decide to come to England?"

"Adventure, I guess. I felt I had outgrown Washington – and the U.S. for that matter – and needed to find a place where I could really test myself, you know? I wanted to see if I could make it on my own."

"How long have you been here?"

"Two years."

"Well," he smiled. "You seem to be doing alright for yourself."

"Can't complain."

"Well, would you like to meet the children?"

"Oh," I said, surprised. "Sure."

He led me out of the office and up a massive staircase; we stopped outside of a door that had the name Emmett written across it in bold letters.

"This is my son, Emmett, he's nearly 11; he's a bit surly, doesn't think he needs a nanny."

We entered the room to find a rather tall young man lying on his bed reading a magazine with his iPod ear buds firmly in place. He regarded me and his father with indifference.

"Emmett? Son, take those out of your ears."

Emmett rolled his eyes, but complied.

"This is Bella, she may be your new au pair this summer; be polite and say hello."

"Hi," Emmett grunted.

"Hello, it's nice to meet you, Emmett."

Another eye roll before putting the buds back into place.

"See what I mean?" Carlisle asked after he closed the door.

"Just a typical 11-year-old boy, right?"

"I guess," he laughed, taking me to a room down the hall. "This is my daughter, Rosalie; she's 7 and a bit of a princess, if I do say so myself."

Great

, I thought, just like all the girls I went to high school with.

"Rosie, darling, this is Bella; come say hello," Carlisle called as he opened the door to a room that looked like it housed every piece of Hello Kitty paraphernalia known to man.

A little blond girl in a pink dress sauntered over and raised an eyebrow at me. "Who's she?"

"She may be your new au pair," Carlisle said. "Say hi, please?"

"Hi," she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Hi Rosalie; I like your dress, it's very pretty."

"Thanks," she said with the same about of enthusiasm. She appraised my outfit with a sneer, "she dresses like she's homeless, Daddy."

I looked down to my long, black skirt and red button up shirt and suddenly became very self-conscious. I have to admit, I'm not one for fashion.

"ROSIE! Do not be rude to our guest, young lady! Now, apologize."

"No!"

"Rosalie Cullen! You apologize to Bella at once!"

"I'm sorry," she said, unconvincingly.

"That's better," Carlisle said.

He was just about to close the door when the little princess piped up, "sorry you dress so ugly!"

Carlisle's face went bright red as he shut the door and led me back down the stairs. "I'm so sorry, Bella; she's usually much more well behaved than that. When their mother died last year, it left them both a bit...moody."

"I understand," I said. "I'd probably be the same way if my mother died at their age."

He smiled at me as we approached the office. I grabbed my things and he guided me back to the front door.

"I'll understand if you don't want to take the job," Carlisle said. "They're a bit difficult to deal with."

"Oh; no, no, no, I still want the job," I said. "I mean, if you're still offering."

"Yes! Of course, if you want the job, it's yours," he said. "I think you'd do very well with the kids. I'll call you this evening to give you more information."

"Thank you so much," I said, shaking his hand vigorously. "This means a lot to me."

"To me, as well."

**That evening**

Carlisle called around 6 p.m., he told me I would stay in their guest house on the grounds, where I would have my own bathroom and kitchenette. This was good news, as I was already packed because my lease was up at the end of next week. In fact, all of my stuff was already in boxes.

I order some Chinese take-away and went to bed happier than I had been in years.

I awoke to a loud banging at my front door the next morning. It couldn't be the landlord, could it? I already gave him my last month's rent.

I flung the door open to find a group of large, sweaty men in my hallway. I nearly freaked as I tried to remember if I owed any outstanding debts or something. These guys weren't here to break my thumbs, were they?

"Bella Swan?" One of them asked.

"Yeah," I said hesitantly.

"We're here to help you move."

"What? Move where."

The man pulled out a clipboard and perused it, "Says here you're moving to Kensington. Very nice little area, innit?"

It all suddenly dawned on me, "Oh, did Carlisle send you?"

He looked again, "Yep; a Mr. Carlisle Cullen arranged for this appointment."

He glanced at my sweatpants and my old WashU Huskies jersey, "is this a bad time?"

"No," I said, letting them in. "Actually, everything is ready to go."

The men walked in to find all my possessions boxed and ready to move.

"Well then," the appointed ringleader said. "Let's just get you moved outta here."

While they carried my boxes downstairs, I picked up my phone and dialed Carlisle's number.

"Hello?" He answered.

"Mr. Cull...I mean, Carlisle," I said.

"Yes, is this Bella?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, are the movers there? I told them 8 a.m., but sometimes they are not that reliable."

"Oh no, they're here alright."

"Good, good! They haven't broken anything? I swear, I'll pay for it if they did."

"No, nothing's broken...yet, I think."

"So...is there something amiss?"

"I just wasn't expecting them."

"Oh, I'm sorry," he said, flustered. "I just thought that since you're already packed and have to be out before the end of next week that I'd send them round to move you in here. That way, you don't have to wait; you can start here straight away."

"Oh, well...thank you," I said; after all, it really was kind of thoughtful of him to do all of this. "I guess I'll be around later today, then."

"Yes, yes; and, as soon as you get here, we'll go over the children's daily routines with Mrs. Cromwell. You met her the other day, the housekeeper?"

"Yes, I remember."

"She has been the one in charge of the children for the past couple of months, since the last nanny quit."

"Alright, well, I should be there around 10 or 11, I'd say."

"Wonderful," Carlisle said. "See you then."

**11 a.m.**

The movers had packed their last box and I dropped the keys off to my salty, old landlord before I caught the tube to Kensington. I arrived a little after the truck to find the men pulling out boxes and taking them to the little house in the back. It was very nice, just the right size for me; It was certainly bigger than my studio in Potter's Bar. I walked inside to find it pretty well furnished; it already had a sofa and most major kitchen appliances. My reverie was interrupted by the sound of an old lady clearing her throat: Mrs. Cromwell, I presume.

"Hello again, Miss Swan."

"It's Bella."

"It is inappropriate for me to refer to another servant by their Christian name." Christian, I thought, psh.

"Sorry," I replied.

"If you'll follow me, we can proceed to the main house where we will go over your weekly schedule." I love the way they say ssschhed-ual. I could never get away with that without sounding hilarious or pretentious.

I followed her into the office, where Carlisle was waiting for us.

"Hello Bella, how are you?"

"Really great," I said.

"Shall we then?"

Mrs. Cromwell took out what looked like a pegboard with every day of the week planned out for the next couple of months. Can you say anal-retentive, micro-manager?

"Now," Mrs. Cromwell began, "The children are out of school for the summer, and we must keep them in an almost constant state of activity, or else they're minds will turn to mush. On Mondays, it's up at 6 a.m., sharp, for breakfast; some quiet reading from 7 a.m. until 11 a.m.; Emmett has his piano lessons at 11:30 a.m. in the study with Mrs. Badcrumble; lunch is at 12:30; Rosalie has ballet lessons at 2 p.m. at the Kensington dance studio on Exhibition Road. Tea is served promptly at 4 p.m., every day; then the children may have some quiet time to themselves before dinner at 8 p.m. After that, it's straight to bed."

I couldn't quite pin-point exactly when my brain went numb, but I think it was around the piano lessons part. God, did every facet of these kid's lives have to be planned out in such excruciating detail? There 10 and 7 years old! They should get to play during their summer vacation.

My brain's reaction time had become so snail-like, that it took me a moment to realize I had said that last part out loud.

"Excuse me, Miss Swan; what did you say?" Mrs. Cromwell and Carlisle were both staring at me like I'd grown an extra head.

"I...I...I mean, do the children get to go to a park and play at any time during the week? I don't see any time scheduled for anything, you know, fun."

Carlisle choked back a laugh as Mrs. Cromwell glared daggers at me.

"Miss Swan, I assure you that the children's activities are quite enjoyable! Know, let us continue."

Cromwell continued to drone on about lessons and meal times and structure; I sat back and imagined myself throwing those little pin-tacks at her while she ran around like some Monty Python sketch. I almost laughed at loud at the imagery.

"Now," Cromwell said finally. "It is half-past noon on a Friday, Miss Swan, what should the children be doing at this very moment?"

I looked to the board, "It says it's lunch time."

"Well then, we'd better get a move on."

She hustled me out of the room and led me to the kitchen where she instructed me on making sandwiches as if I'd never even seen a loaf of bread before; I fought the urge to cut her.

"Oh dear," Mrs. Cromwell said. "I forgot to inform you about the trip."

"Trip?"I said as I laid the sandwiches on the table for the children and turned to her.

"Yes, from May 9th until the beginning of July, the family takes a trip to Ireland."

That was a big piece of info to leave out.

"Oh, what do we need to do to prepare?"

"Oh many things, but don't worry about that right now. On Monday, we shall finalize the children's schedules and activities on the trip. I will write them all down for you to take with you."

"You're not coming?" I said almost too eagerly.

"No, I don't accompany the family on holiday; I'm the housekeeper."

Just then, Rosalie came twirling into the kitchen in yet another pink dress. She stopped twirling when she saw me.

"What are you doing here?" The brat was back; I instinctively straighten up and became self-conscious about my ensemble again.

"I'm working here, now; I'm your new au pair."

She sneered, but went to eat the lunch I prepared for her anyway.

Emmett tromped loudly down the stairs and gave me a glare similar to his sister's; yet, he was more polite than yesterday.

"Hello," he grunted. At least he didn't need prompting this time.

"Hi Emmett, how are you?"

"Fine."

"I made you a sandwich; it's on the table."

"Thanks."

He stalked over to the table and I finally realized just how tall he is; at only 10-years-old, he was already as tall as me (5'4"). And if the size of his feet is any indication, he is going to be well over 6'5" when he stops growing.

"Do you kids want anything to drink?" I called from the kitchen.

"Milk," called Rosalie.

"Coke," called Emmett.

"Emmett, are you allowed to drink sodas?" I know some parents are picky about those kinds of things.

"Yes," he said warily.

"OK, you better not be lying to me."

I grabbed the drinks and took them out to the table. Rosalie made a face.

"What's wrong, Rosalie?"

"This isn't my Barbie cup! I won't drink out of anything but my Barbie cup!"

"OK, calm down."

I returned to the kitchen to find the cup, but couldn't see it in any of the cabinets. Figuring it was probably dirty, I searched the dish washer and found it; I scrubbed it in the sink and dried it, then poured the milk from the first glass into the new one -- no sense wasting good milk.

I set the Barbie cup in front of Rosalie who sat with her arms crossed. "What took you?"

I bit back the snotty remark on my lips and took on my best mom-tone. "Now, Rosalie, I wasn't gone that long. Please drink your milk."

She turned up her nose at it; I reached down and snatched it up.

"OK, if you don't want it, I'll drink it."

"NO!!" She screamed. "NO ONE DRINKS FROM MY CUP!!"

She tugged at my arm, almost making me spill it; I set it back down and she gulped it right up. I couldn't believe that worked so easily.

Emmett finished his Coke and stood up, "I'm done, can I play Playstation now?"

"I don't know," I went to where the chart now stood on an easel in the dining room. "It says here that you two should be reading quietly in your rooms. I guess you better do what the chart says."

"We hate the chart!" Rosalie cried. "Please, Bella, can we go to the park or something."

"I think for now, we'd better stick to this; at least until I can get Cromwell to drop some of the restrictions she has on you."

Rosalie pouted and stomped to her room; Emmett slouched his way up behind her.

I sighed; we were off to a rocky start.

**Wednesday, May 7**

I was walking behind Cromwell with a shopping trolley while she piled things in we would need for the trip. It was 1 p.m., so Emmett was at football training and Rosalie was on a play date; I shuffled my feet behind Cromwell and tried my best not to fall face first into the trolley as I started dozing off. This trip couldn't come fast enough.

"We've some sun block, but I don't know if it's enough; mustn't let the children get melanoma now..." The whole hour went by like this.

I did manage to sneak a few things for myself into the trolley: a magazine, some chocolate biscuits and some new lip gloss.

We went to the check out and Cromwell was so enraptured in drilling me on holiday protocol, she completely missed the contraband I snuck in; I smiled inwardly.

Once we had picked up the children we headed for home; it was nearly tea time, so I sent the children to have "quiet time" in their rooms while Cromwell and I made cucumber sandwiches and tea. Cromwell surprised me by putting out a plate of biscuits -- even if they were the digestive kind. It was out of character for her to let the kids eat anything at all unhealthy.

But, I didn't feel like broaching the subject, for fear of an hour-long lecture.

I called the kids down and we sat around the table waiting for Carlisle. He entered with a phone attached to his ear; he seemed upset.

"That's wonderful, just wonderful, Jessica! You want me to just let your bad seed son tag along on my nice, quiet holiday? I can't believe you sometimes! Fine, you know what; it will take longer to argue with you than to just give in, so fine! Let Edward come along! But, if he gets into trouble, that's not my fault!"

He flipped his phone shut angrily and slammed it on the table before taking a breath and looking up at all of our concerned faces.

"Sorry, everyone; that was my sister informing me that she wants us to allow her son, Edward, to accompany us on this trip. So, Emmett and Rosie, you get to spend some time with Cousin Eddie."

"Yay! Cousin Eddie!" Rosalie squealed. Emmett, as always, looked indifferent.

I started to get worried; another kid for me to look after? And a hell-raiser at that! I decided to bring it up indirectly.

"So, is Edward close to Emmett's age?"

"No," Carlisle said. "He's your age, actually. Why my sister thinks he want to hang around with us to begin with is a mystery to me."

I breathed a silent sigh of relief; at least I'm not going to have to worry about taking care of this Edward guy.

**What do ya'll think? Good so far? **


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for the feedback, kids

**Thanks for the feedback, kids.**

**I'm really looking forward to writing the rest of this :-)**

**EPOV**

**Friday, May 9****th**

I was fuming.

No, beyond fuming – there should have been smoke coming out of my ears.

Here I am 20-years-old – almost 21 – and my mum just ships me off to spend my summer with her relatives. I don't have to go! I'm an adult! But, when Mum gives me that look and I cave. She's the only person who's ever been able to get me to do anything because she's stayed by me in spite of all the bad things that I've done.

I've been arrested for vandalism, larceny, you name it. I stole a car when I was 15; I nicked an old ladies purse at 16. I wasn't exactly easy to live with, and yet Mum always welcomed me back home with open arms. This past incident was a bit extreme, even for me: I stole a police car while he was hassling a friend of mine for loitering. I spent six-months in the pokey for that one.

After that I got out, Mum decided she was at her wits end and told me I need to go to Ireland to stay with my uncle and his family for about three months.

I was so filled with remorse, I just couldn't argue.

I arrived at Heathrow around 9 a.m., and was forced to sit and wait for an uncle who hates me and his brood of children who annoy me to no end.

I grabbed a magazine and a Coke from an airport shop, though I stealthily snuck some chocolate biscuits in my coat pocket when the clerk wasn't looking. I was sitting near the proper terminal, waiting for the rest of the Cullens to show up and reading an article about Pete Dougherty. What a wanker; I've more musical talent, and – if I were famous – I wouldn't spend every waking moment getting stoned. Well, at least I don't think I would.

I sipped my Coke and continued reading until I heard a screech come from down the airport corridor. I cringed as I knew instantly who is was, even before it was followed by, "Cousin Edward!!"

Little Rosalie: such a pretty girl, such a little monster; one of Uncle Carlisle's brat children. As soon as she clung onto one of my knees, I knew her brother, Emmett, wouldn't be far behind.

However, I was surprised to find Emmett more reserved than he had been the last time that I saw him. Of course, that was three years ago. He followed me around like a little, lost puppy; now he looked like he could care less if I was alive.

I peeled Rose off of my leg and gave her a hug; might as well be nice to the little brat, right? Carlisle walked towards me with someone in tow: a girl who seemed to be intently searching for something in her bag; probably some poor, new nanny.

On closer inspection, she seemed to care very little of her appearance: her short frame was housed in ridiculously over-sized clothes; a pair of baggy jeans and a large, grey, hooded jumper. I couldn't tell what she looked like underneath the mass of fabric. Her hair seemed nice; it was a beautiful shade of dark, reddish-brown. Though, it was a bit long and unkempt; it hung down in her face, obscuring my view of what I really wanted to see.

I was so intent on seeing what the girl's face looked like, that I hadn't noticed Carlisle greeting me; he pulled me in for a hug.

"Edward, how are you lad?"

"Good, Carlisle," I decided long ago to dispense with the formality of calling him 'Uncle'. "How are you?"

"Fine, Edward, just fine. You remember your cousins, of course."

"Yes, though they've grown considerably since I last saw them."

"Indeed; Emmett, did you say hi to your cousin?"

Emmett looked at me with a bored expression, "Hi."

Carlisle gave me an apologetic look before he turned to the girl behind him, her head still bent while she looked through her bag.

"Bella, dear, what are you looking for?"

"Just something I was sure I packed in here." She had a nice, soft voice; and I detected the American accent.

"Well, you can find it on the plane, I'm sure. We'll be boarding any moment."

As if on cue, a voice came over the intercom: "BMI flight 241, from Heathrow to Dublin, is now boarding first class in terminal 32."

"That's us," Carlisle said.

The girl finally popped her head up out of her bag and looked at Carlisle in shock.

"Ffffirst class?"

"Yes," Carlisle said simply.

I smirked; did the girl think a man like Carlisle would let his precious brats fly anything but first class? He won't even let them use public transportation.

Carlisle handed me my ticket and I handed it to the girl at the gate, giving her my best, flirtatious smile. She blushed and giggled as I past.

I found my seat and put my bag in an overhead compartment; I took my magazine back out as the strange girl sat next to me. God, I hope she's not one of those types who like to talk endlessly on a flight. It may only be a little over an hour to Dublin from London, but sitting next to someone who can't stop blathering makes it seem like an eternity.

She didn't stow her bag in the compartment, opting instead to keep it under her seat. Suddenly, Rose walked up to our area.

"Bella! Change seats with me! I want to sit next to Edward!" She emphasized the 'want' part with a dramatic stamp of her foot; I glanced over to Carlisle and gave him a pleading look.

"Rosie, leave Edward and Bella alone. You have to come sit by Daddy; you wouldn't want to hurt my feelings by not wanting to sit with me, would you?"

I gave him a nod of thanks as the little princess huffed her way to the other side of the plane. Bella sat down and pulled out an mp3 player; good, she's not a talker.

She buckled her seat belt and pulled the hood of her jumper up over her head. She discreetly put the headphones over her ears and rested her head back, closing her eyes. Her face was still somewhat obscured by her hair, but I could see she looked pretty enough. She had nice, smooth, alabaster skin; a nice, little nose and very full lips. In fact, if she put a little effort into it, I bet she could be quite fit, indeed.

The air hostess went through the safety lecture and then the captain told us what altitude we would be cruising at, and we were off.

Once we were in the air, I took the belt off and reached into my pocket to pull out the biscuits I stole. I noticed Bella move next to me; she reached in her bag and pulled out a magazine and something else.

As I sat and ate my treat, perusing my magazine, I noticed Bella would periodically put something in her mouth. I watched closer to see it was bits of chocolate biscuit; she had the pack hidden in the front pouch of her hoodie. I smiled and wondered if she had stolen her biscuits as well.

I looked at what she was reading: the same Pete Dougherty story I had just finished. Just then, she noticed me staring.

She took one of the earphones off, "Did you need something?"

"He's a wanker, isn't he?"

She looked confused. "Who?"

"Dougherty," I replied, motioning towards the magazine. "Complete tosser! Doesn't deserve the ink wasted on a story about him."

"I know," she said turning to me. "He seems to just be famous for being a drug addict and for dating Kate Moss! I mean, I like the Libertines and everything, but can't he just focus on his music?"

"Exactly! It just frustrates me because I could start a band that would be ten times as wicked as anything Dougherty could shit out, and yet he's famous and I'm just a petty thief."

She looked like she didn't know whether to laugh or be very frightened of me. I decided to change the subject.

"So, have you been to Dublin before?"

"No."

She was suddenly shy again.

"How long have you been in London?"

"Two years."

"Do you like it?"

"Yes."

"Where are you from in America?"

"Washington State."

"Is it nice there?"

"It rains."

"Can I get you to give me more than one to two word answers?"

She turned to me with a smirk.

"Perhaps."

She has the most beautiful brown eyes I've ever seen. I don't think I've ever described brown eyes as beautiful before, but Bella's are; they're warm and dark, but still have specs of gold in them. I fought the urge to kiss her right there. She blushed as she turned away and resumed listening to her music and eating her biscuit. Maybe the next two months will be more fun than I thought.

**BPOV**

This Edward guy was weird.

Carlisle gave me the rundown on his bad behavior: the stealing, the lying, the fights he got himself into, etc.

An all-around bad boy? Or just a spoiled brat starved for attention?

He seemed fairly nice to me as we chatted on the plane; though, I suspected he's nice to every creature of the female persuasion. He's charming, there's no doubt about that; and the worst part is, he knows it. That's a dangerous combination.

Once the plane touched down in Dublin, I grabbed my bag and exited as soon as we were able to disembark. I waited at the gate for the rest of the party, Rosalie already had Edward by the hand and was talking his ear off about something. We walked down to baggage claim and found that there was already a limousine waiting to take us to our destination. Carlisle thinks of everything!

Edward and Carlisle loaded the bags into the back as I got the children settled down and strapped in, much to Emmett's chagrin.

"I'm not a baby!" He whined. "I can do my own seatbelt!"

"OK, I'm not trying to baby you," I said, putting my hands up in defeat. "Rosalie? Do you have your seatbelt on?"

"Yes," she said warily.

I took the space in between them and buckled in while Carlisle and Edward sat across from us. I may sound like an over-excited 4-year-old, but I've never been in a limo before! Even my prom date wouldn't spring for one; Mike just showed up at my house in his used Camry with a half-wilted corsage.

Though, I think I did a pretty good job of hiding my excitement, if I do say so myself.

We rode for a little over 20 minutes until we stopped at a house almost as nice as the Cullen's home in Kensington; we were in Bray, a seaside town just south of Dublin.

As soon as we came to a complete stop, an army of servants were on us, taking the bags inside and asking if we needed anything. I wondered if these people were at the home year-round, just waiting eagerly for the Cullens to show up.

After refusing a cup of coffee for the fourth time, I found my way into the house. I wandered upstairs and found what I assumed what was my room, because it was the smallest of the bunch.

"Bella? Where have you run off to?" Carlisle called.

"Oh, sorry," I said walking back down stairs. "I was just exploring."

"Oh, that's alright, I just didn't want you to get lost," he smiled.

It was about noon when we all got settled.

"So," I began, "Should I make us some lunch?"

"No, no, no; we have a cook," Carlisle said.

Wow, I thought, his summer home has more luxuries than his regular home. But, I guess that was the point.

"Lunch is served in the parlor," said a short woman with a heavy Irish accent.

"Thank you Beatrice," Carlisle said.

We sat down around the table to some kind of stew with freshly baked bread. I reveled in the wonderful smell of it all.

"So Edward," Carlisle said as soon as we had begun eating, "What are your plans for this trip? I suppose you might want to find something nice for a young man to do."

"Don't really have any plans," Edward replied. "Just thought I'd wing it, so to speak."

"Well, there are plenty of things to do in Dublin, it's not but a quick journey and the car will take you there anytime you want. Do you need some money?"

Carlisle reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet.

"No, I'm fine," Edward said. "I don't need to go anywhere today, figured I'd just sit around the house a bit."

"Ah," Carlisle said. Something told me he didn't want Edward hanging around too much.

"Will you have a tea party with me, Edward?" Rosalie asked, her eyes as big as saucers.

Edward grimaced, but knew he was stuck. "Sure."

He glanced at me then, "Bella? Will you join us?"

"NO!" Rosalie whined. "I just want it to be you and me!"

"Rosalie," Carlisle warned. "Don't be rude; if Bella wants to join, you should be a gracious hostess."

Rose huffed and crossed her arms, "Fine! Bella can come if she wants."

"Thank you, Rosalie. But I won't impose on your time with your cousin," I said, giving Edward a smug look.

He glared back at me.

"Well, we should all be resting up today," Carlisle said. "We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow."

"What?" Rose asked eagerly.

"It's a surprise," he teased.

"It's probably just that stupid hike up to Bray Head again," Emmett muttered, playing with his food.

Carlisle looked like he was about to get angry, but calmed himself before continuing. "Emmett, son, if you don't want to join us, you may stay behind tomorrow. But Bella and Edward have not seen Bray Head, and I'm sure they will enjoy it very much."

Emmett continued to sit and sulk. I changed the subject.

"I hear that Bray has a Jazz festival in May every year."

"Ah, I'm afraid we've missed it though," Carlisle said. "It's at the start of the month."

"Oh," I said a little sadly. "Well, I'm sure there are plenty of other fun things to do."

I looked up and Edward gave me a wicked look; I didn't want to speculate on what that look implied.

**That evening**

I got Rosalie to bed at 8 p.m., despite her protests and went to find some sleep myself. It wasn't as if the trip was strenuous, but I was still tried. I was about to close my door when a hand blocked my progress. Edward peered in at me.

"Mind if I come in?"

"What for?"

"I don't know...talk and such."

"I'm kind of tired."

"It won't take long, I just want to get to know you a little better."

I stood there debating. Something about Edward did intrigue me; but he also scared me, too. However, I decided to let curiosity win over fear; I let him in.

He looked around my room absently before he sat on the foot of my bed; I closed the door and waited for him to start the conversation.

"So...how do you like Ireland so far?"

I snorted a laugh, "haven't seen much of it, have I?"

"True, but I want a first impression, you know; do you like the scenery, the house, the company..." He trailed off on that last part.

"Scenery's nice," I relented. "The house is, of course, very nice; as for the company, jury's still out."

He smirked. "Well, at least I still have some time to prove myself then, right?"

"Prove yourself? To whom?"

"You."

"Why do you have to prove yourself to me?"

He glanced at his shoes, "I'm sure you've already been informed about a great deal of my exploits; I won't recount them here. But, I'm not as bad as you may think, just misunderstood."

"Why do you care what I think of you?"

He chuckled as he lifted his eyes to mine, "I don't know...guess there's just something about you."

"What?"

"Can't say; you're different from other girls I've met. It's like you don't care about what people think of you; I admire that."

"You have me pegged wrong, I think. I'm not like that at all."

"Well then," he said. "I guess we both may have something to prove."

I appraised him thoughtfully before I cast my glance down to my shoes, suddenly nervous again.

"So, anything else you wanted to say?" I asked, not able to meet his intense gaze again.

He slowly stood and walked over until he was mere inches away from me; I couldn't breathe for a moment.

"We don't have to talk," he whispered.

Suddenly, his hand was underneath my chin, lifting it towards his face. I truly looked into his beautiful green eyes for the first time, lost in their emerald depths. He bent his head down and brushed his lips across mine. He pulled back to gauge my reaction, but I was frozen to the spot; I was incapable of reacting.

He tried again, but this time I pushed him away. "No."

"Why?"

"We just met, and I don't know if I trust you yet."

"You won't know unless you let me in," he said, bending his head down for another try; I moved away to stand next to the opposing wall.

"I'm not ready to let you in," I said wrapping my arms around myself. This was strange, I've never felt these raging emotions before.

Edward sighed and took a step toward me. "Stop. You should go."

His foot halted in mid-air and returned to its previous position; I looked up to see him give me one last, longing gaze before he exited the room.

He's going to get me in a lot of trouble, I just know it.

**Sorry it's such a short chapter…I just wanted to get Edward introduced.**

**I'm thinking next I should introduce Jasper as a friend of Edward's who lives in Dublin and Alice as a girl who works in the Cullen's summer home. Thoughts?**


	3. Chapter 3

BPOV

**I wanted to get this chapter out so I can kick back and enjoy the MTV Movie Awards tonight! YES! Exclusive **_**Twilight**_** clip! An early birthday present for me!**

**BPOV**

**7 a.m., Saturday, May 10****th**

I woke up and was greeted by an overwhelming feeling of dread.

You see, I'm not much for any kind of physical activity – I trip over my own feet – which will make today's hiking expedition an exercise in my endurance for public humiliation.

I rose from my bed reluctantly and got out something suitable for the day: some capri length sweats, a blue t-shirt and a zippered hoodie – in case it gets cool. Satisfied with my choice of outfit, I stuck my head out my door to see if anyone was up for the day yet. We weren't supposed to leave for another four hours, so I wasn't surprised to find everyone else still in bed.

I snuck off to the bathroom to freshen up, though, I opted out of a shower since I knew I'd just end up getting good and sweaty later on. I washed my face and brushed my hair back into a ponytail. Once I was moderately satisfied with my appearance, I strolled back to my room to change.

However, what I found in my room almost made me jump out of my skin: Edward sitting on my bed looking the songs on my mp3 player.

"Oh my god! What are you doing in my room?" I tried not to yell too loud, I didn't want to startle Carlisle or the kids.

"Just curious about what music you listen to; you spend so much time with this device attached to your ears, I figured music must be an important part of your life."

I put my hands on my hips and tried to adopt a more authoritative tone. "Remember that discussion we had last night about trust? This kind of behavior doesn't exactly give me a good reason to trust you."

He looked up at me for the first time since I'd come back into the room; his eyes roamed my nightgown clad body with an indescribable emotion behind them. I couldn't tell if he was repulsed or intrigued. I instinctively crossed my arms over my chest to cover myself.

"Don't get your panties in a bunch," he teased. "You're not always the most open human being; I just thought you might need a bit of a push in order to learn how to let people in."

"You thought wrong."

He chuckled before continuing his search. "You like country music?"

"Some," I said defensively. "I like old stuff like Johnny Cash and Patsy Cline."

"And the Dixie Chicks, I see."

"Yes; I think they make good music."

He beheld me curiously for a second before he flipped the dial on the player once more.

"Oooo, _Blue Lines_! That's one of my favorite albums."

"Mine too," I said, finally reaching for my robe. "Although, I must say I like Portishead better than Massive Attack."

"Portishead's certainly sexier," he said waggling his eyebrows at me.

I rolled my eyes; I wrapped the robe around me and sat at the vanity chair while he continued. He finally set the player down 5 minutes later and looked up at me.

"Well, you seem to have a very eclectic taste in music; at least I know that much about you."

"That's quite a bit, actually," I said. "And, you're right; music does mean a lot to me."

"Well," he said standing, "I had best let you get decent."

He shut the door behind him as I let out a breath I wasn't aware I was holding.

I walked into the kitchen to find that the cook was already hard at work over some eggs and beans. There was fresh coffee in the pot, and I poured myself a cup as I set about making friends with some of the Cullen's other employees.

"So, you're Beatrice, right?"

"That I am, Miss. You'll be Bella, the nanny, is that correct?"

"Yeah; but, actually I'm an au pair. I'll only be with the Cullen's for the summer."

She continued her work; something told me she isn't used to be bothered while she was cooking. I decided to try again when she wasn't so busy.

Just then, Emmett slouched into the kitchen.

"Morning, Emmett!" I said, trying in vain to get a different response out of him.

"Hi," he grunted. You win this round kid.

"Breakfast will be ready in about 20 minutes," Beatrice said.

"Great, well I'll go get Rosalie up," I said.

I wandered back upstairs and knocked on Rosalie's door. She gave a half-hearted "come in."

I pushed the door open and stuck my head in, "Rose? Breakfast will be ready soon. Can you come down stairs, please?"

She groaned, "Fine, I'll be there in a minute; go away."

"OK," I said. "But if you're not down in 5 minutes, I'm coming back up here."

She scoffed at that idea; I was going to have to show this kid that I mean business.

Carlisle was coming out of his room as I walked back down. "Morning, Bella."

"Morning, Carlisle; did you sleep well?"

"That I did; how about you?"

"Yes, thank you; my bed is very comfortable."

"Good to hear," he said. "Are the children up yet?"

"Emmett's down stairs and I just went to wake Rose up."

"Good, good; have you seen Edward?"

"He's up," I stated simply.

**EPOV**

I had never wanted to figure a person out so much in all my life.

Bella Swan is an enigma: smart but naïve, beautiful but oblivious to it, sweet but with a hint of sadness underneath it all.

We had more in common than she would care to admit. But, I am now determined to spend as much time as it takes breaking her down.

I returned to my room after my rendezvous with Bella to find a missed call on my phone; I checked my messages to find a voice mail from my best mate, Jasper. We had gone to school together in England, but he is an Irish native. He was wondering when we were going to get an opportunity to hang out. I called him back straight away.

"Hello?"

"Jas? It's Edward, mate; how've you been?"

"You limey bastard! You certainly know how to make a mate anxious," Jasper said. "When you said you were coming to Dublin, I thought we'd be spending every night gettin' pissed."

"I've only just arrived! Besides, I'm not technically in Dublin right now."

"Where are ya?"

"Bray."

"What the hell are ya doin' there? There's nothin' in Bray, mate!"

"Actually, I've found a way to keep myself occupied for the summer, I think."

"What's her name?" He laughed.

"I tell you later; we're going to Bray Head during the day, but I'm sure I can make my way into Dublin tonight. Where do you want to meet?"

"Let's say Cassidy's at 9."

"See you then."

I flipped the phone shut and made my way down stairs.

**BPOV**

Yep; I officially hate hiking.

We've only been at it for an hour, and I'm ready to just stop and sit on a rock and wait for everybody else to come back down. I fell twice; though I was saved from smashing my face into the earth both times by Edward who somehow managed to grab me at just the right moment.

And, aside from the physical activity, it was kind of boring. The scenery was great and everything, but it was the same view over and over again. I actually was craving spending time in a city.

We finally reached the top of the hill and Carlisle took out a basket with food for a light lunch. Rosalie was busy chattering at full tilt at Edward, who surprised me by seeming mildly interested in what she had to say. Emmett sulked; man, that kid's good at that. He pulled out his mp3 player sometime during the hike and ignored everyone. I wanted to think of some wonderfully profound speech I could give him about how his family loves him and how it's hurting his father for him to be so surly all the time.

But, coming from a dysfunctional wretch like me, I'm sure the words would simply fall flat.

I was just about lost in my thoughts when Edward interrupted me.

"You're not as graceful as I thought you were going to be."

"Thanks; you really know how to flatter a girl."

He gave me a teasing smile, "It can be an attractive attribute. Sometimes it's nice to have to save a damsel in distress."

I shook my head and changed the subject.

"So, do you really enjoy all of this? Wouldn't you rather be somewhere else; you know, somewhere that has a demographic closer to your age?"

"Perhaps; why? Do you wish you were somewhere else?"

"No; but, then again, I'm getting paid to be here."

"That does make a big difference," he said.

"So, other than being a menace to society, what do you do? Do you work?"

"Occasionally," he said. "I've worked odd jobs, outside of nicking purses and such. I worked as a bank teller for a while."

"Trying to pull an inside job?"

"Ha," he laughed dryly. "No, but don't think it wasn't tempting for me."

His phone beeped as he received a text message.

"Wow, you work quick," I said.

"What do you mean?"

"You've already got women sending you messages. Let me guess: some tall, blond woman with long legs is waiting for Edward Cullen to meet her for a tryst?"

"That's what you think of me?" He asked; he actually looked sad about it.

"You do give off an air of someone who gets what he wants from the ladies," I said. "Have I offended you?"

He was quiet for a moment.

"No, you didn't offend; I guess I've just never noticed what kind of 'air' I give off."

"So, was I right? Was it a girl?"

"No, it was my friend, Jasper. We're meeting tonight in Dublin," he said. "Hey! Do you want to come along?"

"Uhh, I don't think that would be a good idea."

"Why not?"

"I'm supposed to stay with the children."

"They'll be in bed."

"Still," I said. "I don't want to push things with Carlisle. I mean, he's cool and everything, but I don't think he'll be OK with me abandoning my duties."

"You're not abandoning, you're just taking a break. You're allowed those, right?"

"Maybe I'll hang out with you some other time."

He seemed to accept that and dropped the subject.

We got back down Bray Head at about 2 p.m., and Rosalie was in a feisty mood.

"Daddy, I want to go shopping."

"Well, Rosie, why don't we do something everyone will want to do?"

"No," she yelled crossing her arms. "I want to go shopping! I want Bella to take me."

"Rosalie Cullen! Please, don't take that tone with me!"

"It's OK, Carlisle," I said. "I don't mind taking her."

"You're not here to be her personal maid, Bella," Carlisle said calmly. "She has to realize that."

Rosalie stamped her foot, "I don't want to shop for me; I want to shop for Bella. If she's going to be seen with me, I want her to stop dressing like a slob."

"ROSALIE!!" Carlisle yelled. "Apologize at once!"

She was about to open her mouth for some half-hearted apology when I stopped her.  
"You know, Carlisle, Rose is right; I do dress a bit schlumpy," I said. "Maybe we could stop by some shops in Dublin while you boys do something you wouldn't get to do with a couple of girls hanging around."

Rosalie smiled brightly as Carlisle seemed to relent.

Rose was dragging me around Jervis Shopping center, muttering lame excuses to the people she was pushing out of her way.

She took me into a store called Dorothy Perkins where she started pulling dresses and shirts and skirts from the racks. Other girls in the store were giving us looks of either bewilderment or disgust.

"Can I help you?"

A short girl with short, spiky black hair appeared at my side; her name badge read Alice.

"She's just trying to find me something suitable to wear," I explained.

"Oh! Well, I could help if you like," she said, appraising my current outfit with curiosity.

"I don't want to be a bother," I said. "I'm just trying to appease her because she doesn't like the way I dress."

"Can I be honest with you?"

I hesitated, "Ummm…. Sure."

"You don't flatter yourself; your clothes don't do anything for you. Have you got a figure? Because, if you do, I can't see it."

I stood there while this little, nervy pixie insulted my non-fashion sense; but I couldn't bring myself to hate her. In fact, I actually really liked this girl; she was everything I wish I was.

"OK," I relented. "Will you help us?"

"Ooooo, I'd love to," she squealed, jumping up and down.

Suddenly, I had two tiny terrors pulling me around the store and throwing different articles of clothing at me. I peeled a sequined top away from my face after Rosalie flung it at me.

"Rose, I can't foresee any event where I would wear something like this."

"You can still try it on," Rose whined.

I decided all attempts to argue would stop there.

**EPOV**

Jasper and I met a little after 9 at Cassidy's; he already had a beer waiting for me when I arrived – this is going to be a fun night, I can tell.

"So, how've ya been, ya cunt?" My but Jasper has a way with words.

"I've been OK."

"Heard the did ya for nickin' a cop car; did some time for that, huh?"

"Six months; it wasn't too bad."

"So, does that put an end to your post-adolescent shenanigans?"

"Perhaps."

He gave me an evil grin, "I don't believe you for one second."

"Then we're going to have to agree to disagree."

We sat in silence for a few moments before I turned to find him looking at me curiously.

"What?"

"What's her name?" He asked.

Crap, we were going to have to discuss this eventually, right?

"Bella."

"What's she look like?"

"Short with long, brown hair; pretty, has amazing brown eyes, and doesn't even wear makeup which I find to be refreshing."

"How's the figure."

"Does it matter."

"No," Jasper mused. "Just curious."

"Lovely, actually. But she hardly wears any clothing that would alone one to see it."

"She sounds very shy, like she doesn't want people to notice her."

"Yup, that definitely sounds like Bella."

"So," he began, "What's the situation? Are you merely in this for the sport of getting a girl to loosen up, or are you genuinely interested in her?"

"Right now, I can't tell to be honest with you," I said, looking at my hands on top of the bar. "Both concepts are fighting inside of me."

"Wow! This is serious; you're lost, man."

I turned back to him and glared. "Not lost yet, mate."

**This is another short one, but I'm still establishing characters at this point. Next couple of chapters will definitely be more interesting, though.**


	4. Chapter 4

EPOV

**In case you've never read my bio, today is my birthday; I won't tell you how old I am, suffice it to say I'm getting too old!**

**And now, on with the story…**

**EPOV**

**Sunday morning**

Ahhh yes, Jasper got me more than just a little pissed last night.

My head was pounding like a man was standing over me with a jack hammer to my temple.

I was fighting the urge to vomit, and it was turning out to be a losing battle. I made my way to the loo on shaky legs and proceeded to let my stomach expel everything I had consumed the night before. Once there was nothing left, I leaned against the nearest wall and groaned until I was interrupted by a rather too cheerful Jasper.

"Good morning! How are we feeling today?"

"Piss off," I moaned.

"Oh, I see we're a bit under the weather, no? Well, I've got just the thing for that."

He approached me and started to lift me off the floor; for a little bugger, he was surprisingly strong. He dragged me to the kitchen despite my protests and dumped me into a chair at his table. He set a cup of tea down in front of me.

"I don't see why you're trying to feed me, it's not like I'm going to be able to keep it down! And besides, why aren't you as wasted as I am? You drank just as much!"

"I did no such thing," Jasper countered. "You were drinkin' like a fish, mate. I couldn't have kept up with you for all the whiskey in Ireland."

"Why didn't you stop me?"

"I'm pretty sure you were sneaking drinks in on me there; besides, you seemed like you needed to do some serious drinking."

"True enough mate."

My eardrums were suddenly shattered by the sound of a blender being turned up to a ridiculous level.

"GAHHH!! Turn it off, mate! You're killing me!" I screamed clutching my ears.

"Don't be a baby! Here, drink this."

Jasper handed me a glass, the contents of which I was wary of.

"What's this?"

"Just drink, it'll make you feel better."

I held my nose and downed the concoction, repressing the urge to gag immediately. Jasper was back at my side with a glass of water and two aspirin.

"Now, take these and you should be dandy in a few hours."

"Thanks." I looked at the clock: it was almost noon. "I'd better get back to Carlisle's before he files a missing persons report."

"OK, you're sure you can make it?"

"I'll be fine, just point me toward the tube station."

I was back at Carlisle's 30 minutes later, and my headache was actually a lot better. I went up to the bathroom to shower, not even stopping to see if anyone was home.

I stood in the nice warm shower and let the water run down my body for about half-an-hour; I hoped Carlisle wasn't home, he'd read me the riot act for taking too long of a shower.

I stepped out in my towel and looked out of the bathroom door to make sure no one was coming down the hall before I made my way to my room. Didn't need an encounter with Rosalie while I'm walking around nearly starkers.

I changed close and lied down on my bed, just wanting to rest my eyes for a few moments; but I awoke hours later to the sound of people coming through the front door. I groaned and got up to see what the commotion was all about.

Rosalie was whining, Emmett was sulking; things were as per usual. But, I noticed Bella wasn't anywhere to be found. I walked into the living room only to run into a grim-looking Carlisle.

"What'd you get up to last night?" He asked, his hands on his hips.

"Just some drinks with Jasper."

He appraised me reproachfully but let it drop. I decided to change the subject before he asked me anymore probing questions.

"Where's Bella?"

"Last time I saw her she was in the garden. Why?" He gave me that grim look again.

"Just wondering." I walked away, trying to escape the interrogation.

I went to one of the windows in the kitchen to search for Bella, but still couldn't find her. I opened the door to the balcony and walked down the stairs to see if she was hiding somewhere. She wasn't near the pond, or in the rose garden. I walked around the house two times before I gave up.

As I walked back into the house I was staring off into the distance; at first, I only vaguely felt myself bump into something small and soft.

"Hey!" Bella said, nearly falling to the ground before I caught her.

"I'm sorry, Love, I wasn't paying attention."

"I noticed," she replied teasingly.

Once I got her back on her feet, I noticed her ensemble; it wasn't what I was used to seeing Bella in: a pink top with an off-white skirt that hit just above her knee. She noticed me staring and started to blush.

"What?"

"You look very nice today," I said softly. She looked better than nice; she looked beautiful. But, a part of me didn't want her to know how I felt about her just yet, so I kept that piece of information to myself.

"Thanks."

"Did Rose pick that out?" I teased.

"No, it was a girl at the store. She was really nice, she told me if I needed somebody to hang out with who didn't need adult supervision to call her."

I smiled at that; Bella did need to spend more time around adults.

"So," I began, offering her my arm, "What were you doing outside?"

"Just walking around and thinking," she said, accepting my offer.

"Thinking about what?"

"Nothing important," she said a little too quickly. "Just thinking."

I wasn't going to let her get away with these short answers.

"Bella, have your parents ever visited you here?"

"You mean in London, right?"

"You know what I mean."

"No," she said.

"Have you ever invited them?"

She hesitated, "No."

"Why not?"

"Just haven't."

"Do you get on with them?"

"I think it's time for tea," she changed the subject; she yanked her arm away from me and went back inside.

She's not getting away that easily, I thought, we have all summer.

**BPOV**

He's getting very nervy!

Why should I tell him anything about me or my life? He's just some hoodlum; I'll bet he's just trying to annoy be -- probably thinks it's funny!

I was pacing in my room, and I hadn't even noticed it was half-past midnight already. I debated just going to sleep, but I knew my brain was going to keep me up for hours over this nosy Edward thing. Why am I letting him get to me? He's definitely not my type; he's a degenerate. Why would I want to date someone who's been to prison?

Plus, I'm sure he doesn't find me attractive at all; what was with that back-handed compliment earlier? "You look very ... NICE." Yeah, sure, now pull the other leg.

My fuming did eventually wear me out, I woke up with my clothes still on from the night before; I had been sleeping in the recliner in my room across from my bed. Man, that was some hardcore pouting!

I haven't been that worked up since my parents decided to send me to camp when I was 13. They thought it would improve my social skills; I spent the entire summer hiding in the latrine reading _Wuthering Heights_ for the hundredth time.

I decided to take a Zen approach to the day; I wasn't going to let Edward get to me again. I can be as cool as he is.

After my shower, I actually went through the ritual of fixing my hair and putting on a little bit of makeup. I went back to my room – scanning it carefully to make sure I wasn't surprised by a certain somebody again – and took out the bag of clothes that Rose and Alice had picked out for me. I pulled out the Navy blue sundress with the empire waist and held it up in front of me as I looked at myself in the vanity. Alice was right, this color is beautiful on me.

I pulled the dress on and grabbed a pair of silver wedges that weren't too high – I told Alice that I don't do heels – and went down for breakfast.

I was, yet again, the first person up. I got a cup of coffee and walked back upstairs to wake the children.

"Emmett," I said, opening his door slowly to find him reading a magazine with his headphones on. He glared at me and went back to his reading. I walked to the side of the bed and pulled the headphones off, sitting next to him.

"It's almost time for breakfast," I said.

"Fine," he grunted. "Be down in a minute."

I looked at him for a moment, trying to choose my words carefully.

"You know, I don't know what it's like to be in your position; I don't know what it's like to lose a parent. But, I do know what it's like to be young and angry all the time. I don't really talk to my parents anymore because we've never been close. In a way, it still tares me up inside; I really wish things had been different between us. But, your dad loves you so much – just, don't shut him out for too much longer, OK?"

He didn't look at me as I spoke, but I could tell he was thinking about what I said. It may not have been a huge breakthrough, but it was something – for now.

I woke Rose, who Oooo-ed and Awww-ed over my dress; at least she's not completely disgusted with me anymore. I had both of the kids downstairs and at the breakfast table as Carlisle walked in.

"Good morning all; Bella! You look too lovely for words today."

I could feel my face heating up, "Thanks."

We were all finished with our meals before Edward graced us with his presence. He really must think the world revolves around him. He bound into the parlor, but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw me clearing Rose and Emmett's plates off of the table in my new blue dress.  
I gave him a smug look, even he couldn't think I looked bad in this.

"Morning, sleepy head," Carlisle said. "Have a good night's sleep?"

He seemed to take a moment before finding the ability to speak, "Yeah, yeah it was good."

"What are you up to today?"

"Don't know, figured I do what everybody else is doing."

"We're going to Longford," Rose said.

"Sounds good," Edward replied. "What's in Longford?"

"Just some exhibits I wanted the children to see," Carlisle said. "You may find it a bit boring; you don't have to come if you don't want to."

"You just want the children to see it?"

"What are you getting at?" Carlisle said, suspicious.

"I'm just thinking, if it's something that would bore someone my age maybe Bella could skip it. Maybe while you and the kids check out the history crap, we could walk around the city or something."

"Bella's supposed to look after the children," Carlisle said. "She's not getting paid to gallivant around with my nephew."

"Fine, OK it was just a thought," Edward said, putting up his hands.

I stared at Edward for a moment, curious as to why he was so interested in being alone with me. Another interrogation, perhaps?

We left for Longford around noon; it was an hour-and-a-half drive from Bray, but I enjoyed the scenery very much. Every so often, I'd glance at Edward, and he would glance away from me. It was making me uneasy.

**EPOV**

I was going to find a way to get Bella alone sometime before the day was through. I had been just outside Emmett's door when Bella told him of her history: her relationship with her parents and how that made her feel. I wanted to reach out to her, to tell her she didn't have to feel sorry for not being close to her parents.

In the car on the way to Longford, I couldn't stop staring at her. She's always been lovely, but today she seemed even more beautiful. The dark blue dress made her brown eyes seem deeper, more alive.

Once we got to Longford, Carlisle took us to some cultural center where he intended to show the kids a little local history. I think part of our family came from this area of Ireland or something. Imagine that, I couldn't be bothered to learn my own history.

We walked around for an hour, and I could tell Bella was merely feigning interest at this point. I caught her yawning while a man explained the history of Corlea Trackway; she noticed my stare and quickly recovered, embarrassed to be caught in the act of boredom.

I quietly moved behind her, "Told you this would be boring."

"It's not boring."

"You just yawned like you were about to pass out, Love. This is about as interesting to you as watching paint dry."

"I'm. Not. Bored." She said, emphasizing each word.

"OK, OK; I'm just saying I saw a very nice little café just down the street. I'm sure you'd rather be there, right?"

"No."

"Come on, Bella, some coffee will keep you awake for at least one more boring lecture."

She snickered a bit, but covered her mouth so that the sound wouldn't travel far. I smiled a wicked smile behind her; a little more pushing out to do the trick.

"Look at Carlisle and the kids, they're bored stiff too. I think we should all get out of here."

She continued to ignore me, but I sensed a change in her demeanor; she was thinking about my proposal.

"I'm bored, Daddy!" Good old Rosie, she'll get us out of here.

"Rosalie Cullen, lower your voice young lady," Carlisle warned.

"Carlisle," I whispered, sidling up next to him. "I can take Rose outside, she clearly wants to leave; I'll just take her to that little park down the street."

"Please Daddy? Let me go with Edward."

He looked like he was going to refuse, but Bella piped up.

"Maybe we should take a break," she said. "We should get the kids a snack and something to drink. It's almost 4 anyway."

"You're right, Bella; let's go down to that café and get some tea," Carlisle agreed.

We walked down to the café, Carlisle walked ahead a few feet with Emmett, while Rose and Bella stayed back behind me. I slowed my pace to walk beside Bella.

"Well played, Bella; you have a devious side, don't you?"

"No," she said defensively.

Rose glanced between me and Bella; she had a look of annoyance on her face.

"Bella, go walk up with Emmett and Daddy! I want to walk beside Edward by myself."

"Rosalie!" Carlisle called. "Come here and walk with me; and stop being mean to Bella."

God bless that uncle of mine.

"And then, there were two," I said.

"Are you going to ask more personal questions? Because I have to tell you I'm not in the mood."

"OK, OK; we don't have to talk about you," I said. "Is there anything you want to know about me?"

"No."

"Fair enough; I guess we can just talk about the weather or something."

She was silent then, I decided to throw caution into the wind.

"I heard your conversation with Emmett," I said quietly. "I'm sorry you're not close to your family…"

"You were eavesdropping?" She cried cutting me off. "How dare you."

"I was just passing by and I heard; I wasn't standing outside, waiting for you to spill anything."

"That's not the point; that was a private conversation! It was meant for only Emmett and me."

"I'm sorry, Bella. I didn't mean to offend you; I just want to get to know you."

"Why don't you just leave me alone?"

She stomped off to catch up with Carlisle in the kids. This is going to be harder than I thought.

**BPOV**

**Monday, May 12****th**

Dealing with Edward for the past few days had put me in a bad mood. And I think Carlisle could sense it.

"Bella," he said, peeking into my room. "I'm going to take the children out on our boat today, but I'd like to give you the day off. I've left some money on the table downstairs in case you want to take the tube somewhere."

"Thank you," I said. "I guess I'm just a little moody today; it's nothing, it'll pass."

"You just need a rest. I'll see you this evening."

The family left as I was taking a shower. I got back to my room and picked up a pair of jeans when I noticed a piece of paper on the nightstand: Alice's phone number. I grabbed my phone and dialed it.

"Hello?"

"Hi, is this Alice?"

"'Tis, would this lovely American accent belong to a girl named Bella?"

"Yeah, I actually got the day off today, I was wondering if you're working."

"It just so happens I'm not! I'll meet you at Connolly Station in an hour."

With that, she hung up. I think this is going to be an interesting day.

I meet Alice at the train station where she bound up to greet me.

"Oh, I'm so glad you called! So, up for a little shopping?"

"Sure," I said. "Why not?"

Alice took me to the Liffey Boardwalk were we went from shop to shop. Alice was an atypical spendthrift.

"Wow, Alice you sure got a lot of stuff! How can you afford it all?"

"Well, my dad's an attorney; pretty good attorney actually. I don't really have to work, but I do because I like to have money of my own. But, that doesn't stop him from slipping € 1000 into my bank account every month."

"Wow, wish my dad could do that."

"So, I'm starved; how about some food?"

We sat down in a pub called Buskers in the Temple Bar area. A server came by to take our drink orders.

"I'll just have water," I said.

"Bella! You're in an Irish pub, dear, you have beer in a pub!"

"I'm not much for drinking."

"Well, let this be one of the few times," she said turning to the server. "Two Beamish's please."

Two hours later, we were on our third beers and our second plate of onion rings. I was really having a good time, even if I knew I'd be paying for it in the morning.

"Bella! I'm so glad I met you! I don't usually get along with other girls too well."

"Me neither," I said. "Though, it's boys who are annoying me the most right now."

"Oh, spill! What's his name?"

"Edward, he's my boss's nephew who's tagging along for the summer, and he seems determined to destroy me."

"Sounds like a cunt! Or, maybe he fancies you and doesn't know how to show it."

I rolled my eyes.

"Please, I hope that's not it; he's kind of a jerk! Plus, he's been in and out of trouble all of his life! He's like a James Dean wannabe! I didn't think there were any of those left in the world."

Alice gave me a secretive smile.

"What?"

"Oooo, you fancy him, Love! You want him for all of those reasons you just said."

"I do not!"

"Yes you do! Every girl wants a bad boy!"

We were deeply entrenched in an 'uh-huh/nuh-huh' argument when I saw a familiar head of bronze-colored hair hovering near our vicinity. It was Edward, with a slightly shorter, blond guy I assumed was his friend, Jasper.

"Oh god; he's here!"

"Where?" Alice stood up to crane her neck around the room. "What's he look like."

"He's the one on the other end of the bar, he has bronze hair."

"He's gorgeous! Bella? How could you not a want a piece of that man?"

"Keep it down; I don't want him to know I'm here."

Alice got a mischievous look on her face. She sauntered over to Edward before I could stop her.

**EPOV**

A tiny pixie of a girl danced her way up to me; I felt Jasper tense beside me at the sight of her.

"You Edward?"

"Yeah, who are you?"

"A friend of Bella's; she's over on the other end of the bar. Doesn't want you to know she's here."

I looked up to see Bella desperately avoiding my glance.

"That's Bella?" Jasper asked. "She's even prettier than I imagined. No wonder you're besotted."

"I'm not besotted," I protested.

"Ha! These two were made for each other," Alice said. "Neither will admit how much they like the other."

"Well then, Miss Alice," Jasper said. "Perhaps we should make them see the error of their ways."

Jasper grabbed my arm and dragged me toward Bella while Alice danced gleefully around us.

"Hello, you must be Bella; I'm Jasper," he said, extending his hand to her.

"Nice to meet you," Bella said.

"So, why don't you like my mate Edward here?"

She looked at me briefly than back to Jasper. "He's a pushy jerk who seems to get pleasure out of torturing me."

I was immediately on the defensive.

"What? What's that supposed to mean? How am I torturing you?"

"You keep trying to pry into my life, and I wish you would just drop it already!"

"Fine! You know what? Sod you, then! That's what I get for taking an interest in somebody else; for actually caring for once!"

"You don't care about me!" She cried. "You're just doing this for your own amusement!"

"You really think that's why I'm doing this?"

"Yes."

"You're wrong! I never give a damn about anybody else's problems! You're one of the first people I've ever cared about!"

She was dumbstruck then; her eyes began to well up. I wanted to hold her; to make her feel better, but my pride wouldn't let me.

Then, her face turned from wonderment to rage. "Well, what if I don't want you to care about me? I don't need you, or your pity! I just want to be left alone."

With that, she stormed out of the pub with Alice chasing after her.

**OK, I've run out of steam, and that seemed like a good place to stop! You know how I like to leave you all in suspense :-)**


	5. Chapter 5

I am dutifully trying to get this lovely little chapter to all of you before I head off to see R

**I am dutifully trying to get this lovely little chapter to all of you before I head off to see R.E.M. at Red Rocks tonight!**

**Hope you enjoy! And thanks for enduring my cliffhanger...**

**BPOV**

**Tuesday morning**

I'm fairly certain I'm dying.

I never knew something as insignificant as having a few beers could make you feel this bad. I woke up at about 6 a.m. and spent the next hour puking. When there was nothing left in my stomach, I simply sat there and dry-heaved.

I was lying by the shower with my cheek resting against the cool, stone floor when I heard a knock at the door. I prayed that it wasn't Carlisle; he'd probably fired me on the spot for daring to be hung over when I'm supposed to be taking care of his children.

"Yes?"

"Bella? It's Edward. Are you alright?"

"Go away."

He turned the knob and I silently cursed myself for not locking the door; but, that was the last thing on my mind when I was in a mad rush to the toilet, trying not to ruin the carpeting on the way.

Edward sat beside me and started stroking my hair, I wanted to protest but it felt so good.

"First hang over, huh?"

"Yes."

He chuckled, "Bet you feel like you're going to die, don't you?"

"I am gonna die. If this doesn't kill me, I think Carlisle will."

"No, he'll understand. It's not like he's never been 20-years-old before. Besides, if he gets upset I'll just tell him it was my fault. He'll certainly believe that."

"That is kind of true, you know?" I countered.

He was silent for a moment, but still ran a gentle hand through my hair.

"I'm sorry for what I said to you last night. But, I really do care about you; do you still not believe that?"

"I don't know what to believe right now," I said, almost laughing. "I can't really think straight."

He got up and went to the door, "I'll be back in a second."

I remained there, glued to the floor. I thought about what he said, and about all the things I said to him last night. I'm sure it was just drunk talk, but aren't you supposed to be at your most honest when you're drunk? Maybe it's most hurtful.

I was still lost in thought when Edward silently snuck back in, "Here, sit up and drink this."

"I don't think I can sit up."

He sat down beside me and pulled me into a sitting position. He held me close to his side as he handed me a glass with some weird, reddish-grey liquid in it.

"What is this?"

"I called Jasper and he gave me the recipe," he said. "Best not to ask what's in it."

I sniffed it and immediately held it away from my nose, "I don't think I'm going to be able to keep this down."

"Trust me," Edward said. "It's a miracle cure."

I eyed him warily before putting the glass to my lips and sucking the drink down. It wasn't as nasty as it looked or smelled, but it was far from a strawberry milkshake.

After I was finished, I noticed that Edward still had his arms around me. I looked up to find him smiling sweetly at me.

"I promise, you'll feel better in just a few hours," he said.

I continued to stare into his emerald eyes; as much as I wanted to deny it, he was the most beautiful man I had ever seen. And there was something there, in his eyes and in the way he held me, that told me he was being sincere when he said he cared for me. I closed my eyes and leaned against him as he placed a gentle kiss on my forehead.

Our sweet moment was ruined by a certain 7-year-old barging in.

"Bella, are you done yet? I've got to..."

She stopped when she saw Edward holding me on the bathroom floor.

"What's going on? What's wrong with Bella?"

"She doesn't feel well, Rosie," Edward whispered, trying to get her to lower her voice. "She may have eaten something bad last night."

I groaned in order to emphasize his point. Rosie surprised me by looking concerned.

"Is she going to be OK?"

"Yes, she just needs some rest today."

"Well, take her back to her room, Edward. I'll get Beatrice to make her some tea and toast; that's what I get when I'm ill."

I smiled at Rose, "Thanks, sweetie."

I bent down and kissed her on the head as Edward took me back to my room. We ran into Carlisle on the way.

"Bella? You look awful; what happened? You came in so late last night, I didn't get a chance to say goodnight."

"I think she may have had some bad food," Edward said. "She was throwing up this morning."

"What did you eat?"

"My friend Alice and I were eating onion rings at a pub," I said, hoping he'd buy it. "I think that might've done it; I don't work well with fried food."

"Well, straight to bed for you, young lady," Carlisle said, helping Edward carry me into my room. Beatrice walked in with a cup of tea and some aspirin.

"Here you go, Miss Bella. This should help you feel better; I'll have some toast up for you shortly."

**EPOV**

I wanted to stay mad at her; she said some pretty nasty things to me last night, though I know it was just an effect of her inebriation. But, as soon as I saw her there on the floor in front of the shower, I had to take pity. She didn't seem like the type to get drunk, so I assumed she'd never been in this state before.

As I held her, I could feel her loosening up; at least I was sure I didn't repulse her anymore. She even leaned into me for comfort, and I realized how much I liked having someone rely on me.

I decided to take the responsible route and offered to look after Rose and Emmett for the day while Bella recovered.

"Are you sure you can handle them for the day?" Carlisle asked warily. "I'm not going to get them back injured or tattooed, am I?"

"Injured? Of course not; as for the tattoos, well that'll have to wait until they're 18, won't it?" I teased.

Carlisle still didn't seem amused, but let me take the kids to a local park anyway. Emmett sat on a bench, listening to his music and reading a comic book, while I pushed Rose on a swing.

"Edward?" Rose asked. "Are you in love with Bella?"

"What makes you think that?"

"I know you like her, you're always looking at her."

"That doesn't necessarily mean I like her; I could be staring at her because I hate her."

"No, you stare at her the way my daddy used to stare at my mummy," she said. "The way he still stares at her picture when he thinks no one's around."

"Well I...," I stammered. "I ... do like her, very much so; but I don't think I could compare it to how much Carlisle loved your mum. That was much more intense."

I thought about my late Aunt Esme, one of the most beautiful women I've ever known. Sweet and kind; now that I think about it, there's a bit of her in Bella.

"Do you like Bella more than you like me?" Rose asked, interrupting my fantasy.

"No, I just like her in a different way," I said.

"How?"

"Let's just say, not like a cousin, OK?"

"OK, will you help me on the monkey bars now?"

**BPOV**

I slept most of the day and then just lay in bed for a few hours. Once 6 o'clock rolled around, I sat up and noticed my headache was gone. Then I was hit by the worst stench I'd ever smelled in my life. Is that me? I'm surprised Carlisle and Beatrice didn't notice it earlier; I know Edward must have.

I took a shower and felt much better; in my room, I slipped into a simple sundress before heading down to the living room.

Emmett was watching TV as Rose played with a doll and Carlisle read a book. In that moment, they really did look like a perfect little family; a family I'd like to be a part of.

Rose noticed me first, "Bella! Are you feeling better?"

"Much better, thank you, Rosie."

"Are you up for dinner?" Carlisle asked. "Or is your stomach still bothering you?"

"We're having Champ, it's Beatrice's favorite dish," Rose said excitedly.

"I think I can eat a bit," I said. "It certainly smells good."

I heard footsteps coming down the stairs and looked up to see Edward descending upon us; he gave me a concerned look.

"You feeling OK?"

"Yeah, much better; thanks for the help this morning."

"Help?" Carlisle asked.

"Yes, Edward found me in the bathroom and made sure I was alright," I said quickly.

"Well, that was nice of you, Edward," Carlisle said.

"It was the least I could do; I know I've not been much help around here," Edward said. "I promise, I'll be more responsible from now on."

He gave me a smile before he walked to the kitchen. Once everyone else was preoccupied again, I followed him.

"Edward?"

"Yes?"

I looked down at where my hands were wringing, afraid to look him in the eye.

"This sudden change of heart wouldn't have anything to do with what I said last night, would it?"

"Perhaps," he admitted. "You had some pretty good points; I mean, I've never been one to care about other people's feelings. I've actually been something of a prat for most of my life."

"Look, I'm sorry I yelled at you," I said, not looking up. "And, I didn't mean it when I said I wanted you to leave me alone. It's just that I don't know how to let people get close to me. But, I would like to try..."

Before I could finish, he had covered the distance between us and lifted my chin with his hand. He kissed me deeply and I started to let my guard down; I raised my hands to his hair and tangled my fingers in his bronzed locks while we stood up against a wall in the kitchen. A small cough broke us apart.

"You might want to be doin' that in a more private place," Beatrice said. "Wouldn't want Mr. Cullen to walk in on ya now, would ya?"

Edward excused himself and went outside; I stood there, nailed to the spot.

"You're gonna get yourself into trouble, girl," Beatrice said. "He's no good from what I hear, plus you work for his uncle. 'Tis never a good idea, mixing business and pleasure."

I still couldn't form words, I just walked to a cabinet to grab plates and silverware for dinner. I could still taste Edward on my lips.

**EPOV**

I had to get out of the kitchen; it was just too hot in there, and I knew it wasn't from what Beatrice was cooking.

But, I had finally done it! I had finally gotten that push I've been wanting with Bella! She didn't fight the kiss; no, she embraced it whole-heartedly. Now, I was going to have to figure out how I was going to top the kiss. I would have all day tomorrow to set up something for the evening; night time is the only time I have alone with Bella, especially since I suspect Carlisle may be getting wise to our feelings.

I would tell Carlisle that I was going to spend the day around the house, maybe catch up on some reading. And then, I would set my plan into motion; but, how could I properly seduce Bella? Is she the type who likes to walk into a room with rose pedals strewn across the floor and candles lit everywhere? Then again, I suspect no man has ever done anything like that for her before. She's so shy and reserved, it wouldn't surprise me to find out she's never had a boyfriend.

And I would love to be the first man to claim that prize.

I chuckled at the thought as I pulled out my phone to ring Jasper.

"Hello?"

"Jas? I'm gonna need your help tomorrow, mate."

**BPOV**

**Wednesday**

We spent the day in Wicklow, but Edward has mysteriously bowed out of the day's festivities.

I tried not to dwell on his absence and enjoyed the scenery; Wicklow definitely had plenty of beauty to spare. Of course, all of Ireland is beautiful, but Wicklow has the distinction of being home to some of Ireland's most impressive gardens.

"We'll have to come back here next month," Carlisle said. "They have a wonderful arts festival in June."

"Oh, that should be fun; won't it kids?" I asked.

"Can I get my face painted again this year?" Rose asked.

"Of course, darling," Carlisle said.

Emmett remained quiet, as usual.

"Emmett, are you OK?" I asked.

"I'm fine," he said.

"Aren't you looking forward to the festival? It sounds like fun."

"Same thing every year," he sulked.

"Well, who knows?" I asked. "This year may surprise you."

He rolled his eyes and continued to appear bored. I've never met a more morose kid in all my life.

"Now," Carlisle mercifully changed the subject. "Who wants some ice cream?"

It was 4 in the afternoon before we got back to the house; Beatrice had tea and scones waiting for us when we arrived.

We all sat at the table to eat when Edward joined us.

"How was Wicklow?" He asked.

"Very nice," Carlisle said. "You should have come."

"Well, I wanted to get a few things done around here today."

"Such as?"

"I called my mum, wanted her to know that everything's alright and I'm enjoying my stay here."

"That's nice," Carlisle said. "How is she?"

"Fine, she's seeing this new bloke; he seems good for her."

"Good, I'm glad she's happy."

"Did you enjoy Wicklow, Bella?" Edward asked, turning his attention to me.

"Yes, it was so beautiful! I can't remember the last time I saw so many flowers."

He gave me a smile that said he was up to something, but I didn't want to get into it in front of Carlisle and the kids.

"We're going back for the art festival," Rose said. "You can come next time, right Edward?"

"Of course, wouldn't miss it."

We finished up and I helped a young maid named Katie clear the table. The kids ran back to their rooms to have some quiet time and I was about to do the same when I ran into Edward in the hall.

"Will you come for a walk with me in the garden?"

"Sure."

We walked outside and strolled through the property in silence, I was surprised by how much I liked just being near him. Our hands kept brushing past each others until his fingers entwined themselves with mine. It was at least a full 20 minutes before either one of us spoke.

"So, are you close with your mom?" I asked.

"Yes, she's the only one who's ever given a damn about me."

"What about your dad?"

"Left when I was a kid. Sod him! We didn't need him."

"Bet your mom got lonely sometimes."

He thought about that for a moment, "She had me."

"It's not the same, I'm sure she wanted to have a man around. Plus, your dad not being around might explain why you've acted out so much."

"Is that your official diagnosis, Dr. Bella?" He teased.

"I know, I shouldn't pry; but you know more about me than I know about you," I said. "It's only fair to learn some of your history, right?"

"True; anything else you want to know?"

I hesitated, and he caught on to it immediately.

"What?" He asked as he stopped and turned to me.

"It's stupid, forget it."

"No way! You've got me intrigued now!"

"Fine...doyouhaveagirlfriend?" I said so low and fast I was sure he couldn't have picked up on it.

"Once more, with feeling please?"

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

"Do you think I'd be trying so hard to impress you if I did?"

"You're trying to impress me?"

He smiled that mischievous smile at me, "Just you wait, Love."

"Why? What are you up to?"

"You'll see."

We walked in silence once more until I felt his eyes burning into me.

"What?"

"Have...have you ever had a boyfriend?"

"Not really," I said. "I've dated a few guys before, but nothing I'd ever actually call a boyfriend."

"So, can I be your first boyfriend?"

I stopped dead; did he really just ask me that?

"What? You don't want to be my girlfriend?" He asked worried.

"It's not that, it's just I hadn't thought about it; could we get to know each other a bit better first?"

"I feel like I already know you," he said. "And, I want to be your boyfriend. You don't want to date anybody else, do you?"

"No."

"Alright then, you should just admit that you want to be my girlfriend."

"Will you stop saying that? It sounds kind of weird."

"No, I'm going to shout it from the hilltops I think," he said as he raced towards the highest point on the property; this has bad news written all over it.

"BELLA SWAN IS MY GIRLFRIEND!!" He started yelling before I threw all my weight into him and covered his mouth with my hand.

"Are you crazy?" I asked.

"Crazy in love, maybe."

"OK, Beyonce, but let's just keep it between us for now, OK? We don't want Carlisle finding out yet."

"Say it first; say you're my girlfriend."

I hesitated again and he took a breath to resume his screaming.

"OK, OK," I said, covering his mouth once more. "I'm your girlfriend; satisfied?"

"Completely," he replied, reaching up to kiss me.

**EPOV**

It was dark before we returned to the house, we just sat on that hilltop talking. Bella even got to the point where she could admit to being my girlfriend without looking uneasy about it.

We sat down for dinner with the family while I plotted how I was going to keep Bella from going into her room until the family was in bed.

After dinner was over, I engaged Bella in another round of talking and kissing in the study where hardly anyone ever goes. Once I was sure the kids were in bed and Carlisle was preoccupied, I let Bella return to her room. Though, I stood just outside the door to hear her reaction.

"Oh my god," she said as she turned to find me, I was leaning against the wall nonchalantly.

"Find something you like?"

"How did you do this," she said, gesturing to the many vases of flowers around her room accompanied by a trail of pedals leading from the door to her bed.

"Jasper helped; do you like it?"

"Yes, but how did you know I liked lilies?"

"I saw you looking at the ones in the garden here. Plus, I looked through your clothes and deduced that your favorite color is most likely pink."

I swear I saw a tear well up in her eye as she threw her arms around my neck. "Thank you, it's beautiful."

"Any time, Love." I just stood there, holding her.

I started to move her into her room and closed the door behind us; I lifted her face to mine to kiss her senseless. As we deepened our kissing, I slowly moved us toward the bed and sat Bella down on it. I was about to push her onto her back when she stopped me.

"No, wait; let's not ruin anything," she said. "I'm sure you've been here before, but I haven't. I want to take this slow, I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry, Love. You're right, I was getting ahead of myself."

She sat with her back against the wall and brought her knees up to her chest as I moved to wrap my arms around her and kiss her on top of her head.

"How many girls have you been with?" She asked, seemingly out of nowhere.

"Four," I said, I wanted to be absolutely honest with her.

She seemed satisfied with that, and I was glad that it didn't freak her out. Though, being with Bella, who had zero experience, did make me feel a bit like a man-whore. I hoped I could show her that she's nothing like those other girls; I hoped I could prove to be worthy of her.

**OK, gotta go; see ya'll next time!**


	6. Chapter 6

R

**R.E.M. rocked my socks off last night! Though, the reviews I got for the last chapter were a close second in the socks rockage department :-)**

**I've said it once and I'll say it again: Ya'll are the cat's pajamas!!**

**On with the show...**

**BPOV**

**Thursday morning**

I woke up feeling happier than I've been in many years. And then I realized what was making me so happy – Edward lying next to me with his arms around me.

I was caught in an internal debate: wake him up before Carlisle stumbles in and finds us like this, or let him stay and continue to revel in this feeling. My rational side won out.

"Edward," I whispered, nudging his shoulder. "Wake up; you fell asleep in my bed."

"Hmmm?" He moaned as he slowly opened his eyes. "What's wrong?"

"You're in my bed," I replied.

"So?"

"So, Carlisle can't find you here; he'll freak!"

"We'll have to tell him sometime."

"Not now," I said. "We can give it a few weeks; I don't want to ruin anything, do you?"

"No," he relented. "I guess I'd better sneak myself back into my room."

He slowly disentangled himself from me, but not before giving me one last, long kiss, and walked to my door. He cracked it open and peeked out to look in both directions before dramatically sliding himself out while humming the "Mission Impossible" theme song. Wow, for a 'bad boy,' he can be a real dork sometimes. Guess that's why I like him so much.

I got myself up and into the shower before Carlisle or the kids could wake up. I was humming to myself as I fixed my hair and put on some makeup; the tune continued as I got dressed and woke the kids.

"Good morning, Emmett!" I called cheerfully.

He turned to me with a quizzical look, "What are you so happy about?"

"No reason; hurry up and get ready for breakfast, it's a beautiful day today."

"You're weird," he said, rolling back over and burying his face in his pillow.

Rose was more receptive to my mood.

"Morning, sweetie! How did you sleep?"

"Fine," she chirped. "You look pretty today."

"Thank you; now hurry up, breakfast will be ready soon!"

I ran into Carlisle on my way to the stairs, "Good morning, Carlisle!"

"Morning," he yawned. "Hey, Bella, I have a meeting today in Dublin with some business associates; they said it couldn't wait until my vacation was over. So, you and the kids will be on your own today."

"That's not true," came a voice from down the hall; a voice that made my heart race. "I'll be with them."

"You don't have other plans, Edward?" Carlisle inquired.

"Nope, free as a bird."

"OK, well I was hoping that Bella and the kids would just spend the day in Dublin, maybe go to a museum or a park or something. So, if you get bored there will be plenty of things for you to do."

"I'm sure I'll be fine," Edward said as he gave me a secret wink and headed down the stairs.

Carlisle didn't look too happy; and this tension between him and Edward was starting to get to me.

"Carlisle? Can we talk in private for a moment?"

"Sure Bella."

We walked into his study. "I'm just curious; it doesn't seem like you want Edward around the kids too much. Do you think he's a bad influence?"

"To put it mildly, yes," he replied. "He's never been much for responsibility, Bella. And I know that Emmett has looked up to him in the past. I'd prefer my son not have a role model in Edward; it will only lead to Emmett's detriment."

"But, Edward seems to really be trying to grow up; and I think that your treatment of him is really hurting him. I know he's been a delinquent in the past, but he's changing," I said. "Do you think you could cut him some slack from time to time?"

"Bella," Carlisle warned. "Don't be charmed by him; I've had plenty of experience with him, and kids like him, in my day. It's an act, nothing more."

I sighed; I wasn't going to get through to him right now. I think it was up to Edward to prove himself; I'll probably suggest it to him sometime.

After breakfast, we all got into the car and rode to Dublin; Rose bounced anxiously in her seat.

"Oh, Bella! Can we go shopping again? Please? I need a new dress and some shoes, and I wanted to get some jewelry..."

"Rosie," Carlisle said, "You have to do what everybody else wants to do. Emmett and Edward don't want to go shopping; maybe you could see some castles. I bet Bella would like that."

"But, there are castles in England!" Rose whined.

"There are shops in England, too," Carlisle countered gently. "Now, will you be good and do what everybody wants to do?"

"Fine," she pouted.

"Don't worry, sweetie," I consoled. "We'll find something to do that's more fun than shopping, you'll see."

She looked unconvinced.

We dropped Carlisle off at an office building in the middle of the city, "This shouldn't take but a couple of hours. Do you have your phone on you, Bella?"

"Of course," I said, pulling it from my coat pocket.

"I have mine, too, Carlisle," Edward said. "So, if you can't get a hold of Bella, you can call me."

Carlisle raised an eyebrow at Edward who smiled in return. Carlisle closed the door and the driver took off.

"So, where do you want to go today, Emmett?" I asked.

He shrugged and continued to glance out the window. I gave Edward a pleading look and he thought for a moment, "Um, there's a zoo. Does that sound like fun?"

"Yes! I want to go to the zoo!" Rose squealed.

"How about you, Emmett? Zoo sound like fun?" Edward asked.

"Sure," he said. "Whatever."

"Dublin Zoo it is, then," I said.

Once we were at the zoo, we walked to the gate and Edward paid for everyone to get in.

"You didn't have to do that," I said. "Carlisle gave me money for the day; more than enough."

"Trying to be responsible, remember?" He said.

I smiled at him before turning to the kids, "What do you guys want to see first? Or do you just want to start at the beginning and work our way around?"

"I want to see the zebras!" Rose said. "They're so pretty."

"OK, let's see where they're at," I said looking to the map. We followed the path to the zebra pen to find two of them lying under a tree, keeping out of the sun.

"Bella, are they going to just sit there?" Rose whined.

"Probably," I said. "It's hot out today; they don't want to spend too much time in the sun."

"But, aren't zebras from Africa?" Emmett asked. "Aren't they used to really hot weather."

"I doubt these guys are," I said. "They were probably bred in captivity."

"What does that mean?" Rose asked.

"That they were most likely born here at the zoo," I said. "They've probably never been out of Dublin."

"Oh, that's sad," Rose said. "They probably want to be with other animals like them, right Bella?"

"I'm sure they do, sweetie," I said, smiling at Rose.

We moved on to the primates next, and I was thankful that there were no chimps flinging poo around. After that, we went by the marsupials to see some pandas and lemurs; I looked at the map to see we weren't far from my favorite animals.

"Hey Rose, Emmett, want to go see the penguins?" I asked.

"Yes!" Rose cried. "Oh, I love penguins! They're so cute! You think we'll see some like the ones in Happy Feet?"

"Maybe," I said. "Though, I can't vouch for their dancing abilities."

Edward choked back a laugh as we walked to the penguin exhibit. There weren't any Emperor Penguins, but the Humbolts that were there were too cute for words; Rose and I watched awe-struck as the little creatures darted in and out of their little pool.

"Wow, how do they swim so fast?" Rose asked. "They can't walk very fast."

"I think it has to do with the body shape," Edward said, surprising me with his penguin knowledge. "They're aerodynamic in the water; plus their feathers are very slick and it helps them shoot through like a bullet."

"Well, look who's a regular Sir David Attenborough," I teased.

"Actually, I read it on the plaque by the tank," he admitted, sheepishly.

"Oh, don't give yourself away now," I said. "You had me so impressed."

"Well, I'll just have to find other ways to impress you," he said, taking my hand.

"I want to see the tigers," Emmett finally piped up.

"OK, let's go there next," I said.

We walked to where the large cats were all kept to find a big, male tiger perched lazily on a branch. He seemed less than interested in his audience, though it's not like I could blame him. I wouldn't want to be gawked at all day, either.

"He's so pretty," Rose said; she tugged at Edward's shirt, "Edward, will you pick me up so I can get a better look?"

Edward dropped my hand and lifted Rose to rest on his hip; I covertly slipped my now-free hand into his back pocket, causing a visible shiver to run over his body.

"Are you cold?" Rose asked him.

"Nah, just a sudden chill," he said as he turned to glare at me.

I looked to Emmett, who was gazing at the tiger in wonder, "how much do you think something that big eats?"

"A lot," I laughed, "Probably hundreds of pounds of meat per day."

"Wow," Emmett marveled.

"I'm hungry," Rose said out of nowhere.

"What are you hungry for?" Edward asked.

"I don't know," she replied.

"Why don't we go to that Meerkat Cafe, then we can sit down and decide," I said.

Edward set Rose down and she grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the cafe, "Come on Edward, I'm hungry."

"OK, OK," he said. "But we have to wait for everyone else."

Emmett and I walked behind the two of them, with Edward turning to give me a pleading look every few seconds. We sat in the cafe and ate; we tried to decide what we wanted to do from there.

"How about we go see Dublin Castle?" I suggested.

"It's boring," Rose whined. "It's not one of those cool, old castles."

"OK, well let's see one of the cool, old ones then," I said.

"Hey, what time is it?" Edward asked.

I looked to my phone, "A little after 2, why?"

"Didn't Carlisle say it was only going to take him a couple hours? His meeting started at 11."

"Probably just running long," I said.

"What's Daddy's meeting about, anyway?" Rose asked.

"I'm not sure, sweetie. Come to think of it, I really don't know what he does."

"Way to have a handle on things," Edward teased.

"Do you know?" I shot back.

"He's some kind of investment banker or something."

"Oh, way to have a handle on things," I mocked.

"He's just some important figure in the U.K. financial scene," Edward amended. "I've never really cared enough to ask him, I guess."

"You know," I began, "If you took more of an interest, he might start to take you more seriously. Maybe even respect you a bit."

"Nah – it'll never happen."

I sighed, "So, which castle should we visit?"

**EPOV**

It was cute how Bella wanted me and Carlisle to get along better. But, I knew it was a long, arduous road to Carlisle's respect and, frankly, I wasn't up to the task.

We strolled around the town house at Dalkey Castle, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it; though, most of that joy came from walking hand-in-hand with Bella. Though, every time one of the kids turned around to ask a question, she yanked her hand away.

Carlisle called around 3:30 to say he was done with his meeting. He had the car with him and he was coming to pick us up, Bella said.

"Your dad wants to know if there's anything else you kids want to do while we're here," she said.

Rose got that puppy-dog look on her face, "could you please ask him if we can go shopping, Bella? Just for an hour?"

Bella sighed, "Carlisle? Would it be possible for me to take Rose shopping for a bit? You could drop us off while you took Emmett and Edward somewhere else."

"Who said I didn't want to go shopping?" I asked.

Bella rolled her eyes at me as she listened to Carlisle on the other end.

"OK, great; she'll love that. Rose? Your dad said we'll all go to the Stephen's Green Center, so you and I can shop and the boys can do something they want to do."

Rose jumped up and down and squealed, I suppressed the urge to cover my ears.

The car came by a few minutes later and we headed to the shops; once we were there, I pulled Bella aside, "Hey, I wasn't kidding about wanting to shop with you."

"Edward, we're going to shops for little girls; it's not going to be much fun for a 20-year-old guy; plus," she added. "You'll look a little pervy."

"I'll pretend I'm gay," I said.

"Yeah, that won't look weird at all."

"Come on, Love. I want to spend more time with you."

"We'll see each other later," she said. "Now let's get inside before Carlisle gets suspicious."

I followed Bella in and we split into two groups: Bella and Rose went off to a shop called Urban Kids, while Carlisle, Emmett and I went to find a sporting goods shop. Although, on our way I spotted a shop with some shiny objects in the windows; on closer inspection, it was jewelry store. I looked into the window and saw a necklace with a blue butterfly pendent. It would look so beautiful on Bella; I glanced in Carlisle's direction to see he was preoccupied looking at a store directory to notice my absence. I walked in and quickly bought the necklace.

I got back to Emmett and Carlisle just as they were deciding what they wanted to do.

"Where were you?" Carlisle asked.

"Picked up something for my mum."

He nodded and we walked off to the sports shop.

**BPOV**

I sat in a chair while Rose tried on one pink dress after another, with only a slight differential in each style.

"What do you think of this one?" She asked, twirling in place.

"'s nice," I replied.

"Bella, you didn't even look," she whined.

I looked up to see her in a white dress with pink hearts around the bottom; at least it was slightly different.

"It's cute, sweetie," I said. "But, have you ever thought of trying a different color? Blue, maybe? I think blue would look so pretty on you."

She scoffed at the idea and went back into the dressing room; I'll take that as a no.

She decided on a white dress with pink flowers and some white leggings; I had to admit, it was too cute. I almost wished they had it in my size. At the register, she grabbed some white sunglasses and put them on, "Do I look like Posh?"

"You look better than Posh," I said.

She threw the glasses in with the rest of the items as I took out the money Carlisle had given me. I felt like a mooch, spending someone else's money this readily, but I guess as long as it wasn't being spent on me I could deal.

We met up with the boys at the Dome Restaurant and grabbed some dinner before heading back to Bray. I made sure I sat across from Edward in the car in order to resist temptation.

Once we were back home, I tucked Rosie into bed. "Goodnight, sweetie."

"Goodnight, Bella," she said, kissing me on the cheek. She could actually be such a sweet kid when she wanted to be.

I stopped by Emmett's room to say goodnight before I went back downstairs. I found Carlisle reading in his study.

"Rosie and Emmett are in bed," I said. "I think I'm going to turn in soon, as well."

He looked up and smiled, "Goodnight, Bella."

"'Night."

I was back at the door to my room when I felt an arm wrap around my waist.

"Turning in early?" Edward whispered in my ear.

"I'm a bit tired."

"Come to my room for a minute, first, I have something to show you."

He took my hand and I followed him down the hall; in his room, he sat me down on the bed while he pulled something out of a bag near his dresser. He handed me a box.

"What's this?" I asked skeptically.

"Open it."

I pulled the ribbon off and opened the top; it was one of the most beautiful necklaces I had ever seen: blue with a butterfly pendant and several other colorful jewels around the chain. I looked up to find Edward looking at me adoringly.

"Why did you get me this?"

"Why wouldn't I?" He replied. "You deserve something beautiful, so I got you something beautiful."

"I don't deserve this."

"Yes you do," he said sitting next to me and wrapping an arm around my waist. "In fact, you deserve so much more than that."

He nuzzled the side of my neck with his nose and then started placing soft kisses along my jaw line. I lend my head away to give him better access.

He took the necklace from my hands and placed it on his bedside table while he pushed me back against the bed. He crawled over the top of me, placing kisses on my chest and collarbone before finally making his way to my lips. I love the way he tastes, though I can't really describe it – sort of warm and earthy, like a good red wine; and, unmistakably Edward.

I lay there and let his soft lips work their magic on me as I felt his hands travel up my legs; he started to push my skirt up to my hips as he massaged my thighs gently. He continued up to my backside, still kneading his fingers into my flesh. I gasped as I felt a bulge rub against my inner thigh; I looked down to see he already had an erection. He looked down at where I was staring and then looked back at me with a mischievous grin.

"Do you like that?" He asked.

"Yes," I whispered.

"Good, because it likes you too."

He started to kiss his way down to my neck again as I felt his right hand move from my ass to the top edge of my panties. He played with the elastic for a bit before slipping his fingers underneath the material. Before I knew what was happening, he had one finger inside of me.

"Oh!" I gasped, trying to keep my voice down.

"Love," he whispered, "You're so wet already."

He slid his finger in and out of me in a steady rhythm as my hips started to move in time with him.

His left hand had stopped massaging my backside at this point, though I wasn't sure where it was going to turn up again. He surprised me by unzipping his pants and reaching in to touch himself. His strokes were perfectly in synch with his finger as he buried his face in the pillow next to my head and groaned.

"God, Bella! I want you so bad!"

I could feel myself start to climax and it was the strangest, most wonderful thing I'd ever felt before. I bit into Edward's shoulder to stop myself from screaming as I came, which caused Edward to groan even louder. I felt him shudder as he came into his own hand and collapse against me.

We lay there for about 10 minutes before he looked up at me with that adoring look again.

"I love you," he said.

"I love you, too," I replied.

He rose to sit back on his heels as he removed his shirt; he then got up to rid himself of his pants and boxers, and stood there in front of me completely naked. I was so turned on yet mortified at the same time. I wasn't sure if I was ready for this.

He started to move back to me. "Wait; we shouldn't do this now."

He stopped and looked at me with a mixture of confusion and hurt on his face.

"No, Edward, it's not that I don't want to sleep with you; it's just that I think we should wait. And, we certainly shouldn't do it while the kids and Carlisle are sleeping a few doors down."

"When are we going to do it then?" He asked, slightly exasperated. "When are we not going to have the kids somewhere near us?"

"We'll think of something," I said. "Remember, we still have two months here."

**Gah! Don't kill me! But I have to end it there…remember, I always say that I make no promises of lemons, people! But, you did get a daily fix of fluff!**

**Until next time (insert evil laugh here)…**


	7. Chapter 7

EPOV

**Patience is a virtue, that's all I've gotta say…**

**EPOV**

She was sent to torture me; I've finally figured it out.

How else can you explain the way she teased me last night; got me so hot I couldn't think straight, and then turned me down?

OK, that's not fair. She said she wasn't ready just yet, and maybe the timing wasn't right. But dammit, I hadn't been that ready to be with someone in all my life.

I just keep reminding myself that Bella is more than worth the wait; even if she wanted to hold off until we were back in England, I'm sure I'd gladly suffer through it.

Although, I did have to excuse myself after her refusal and take a cold shower; I didn't know an erection could be so painful. When I got back to my room, she was still there -- she fell asleep in my bed. I sighed and pulled the blankets up around her before settling for the night in the chair next to my bed; I sat there, watching her sleep, until I finally dozed off.

The next morning, I felt a soft pair of lips graze across my eyelids as I awoke.

"Good morning," she said as she smiled sweetly at me. "You know, you didn't have to sleep in this chair last night. I bet your back and neck are killing you."

"I was already too tempted," I replied.

She nodded in understanding then started to walk to the door. As she was reaching for the knob, I was right behind her; I wrapped my arms around her waist and held her close to me.

"I'll wait forever for you; you know that, right?" I whispered into her hair.

"Yes, I know," she sighed. "Thank you for understanding. And, you know I want you just as much as you want me, right?"

I brushed her hair from the back of her neck and placed one, searing kiss on her shoulder, "I know."

I rested my cheek on her shoulder as we stood there, just wanting to feel close to one another.

"I'd better go," she said.

I gave her one last kiss on her cheek and let her slip out the door. I'm gonna need another shower, I think.

**BPOV**

I'm not sure how I was able to say no; I had this man – well, really, he looked more like a god – standing before me, naked, waiting to make love to me, and I said no. I must be out of my mind!

But, I knew that as wonderful as the experience would have been, it wouldn't have been as special as it could be. My first time with Edward should be more than just a sweet, quiet romp; it should be epic. At least, that's how I'd like it to be. And, with two kids and my boss in the house, I know that epic love-making just isn't in the cards for this location. I'd need to devise a plan.

We were going to stay around the house today, and I was thankful for that. Every time I think about what Edward and I did last night, I lose myself in thought. I think if I had to be out in public, I'd crash into people from my constant distraction.

I got the kids up and downstairs for breakfast as Carlisle was getting ready for the day; it took him longer than usual. When he walked into the kitchen, he had a grave expression on his face and I thought for sure that I was busted; he had heard me and Edward.

"Bella," he said. "Can I talk to you for a moment?"

I hesitated ever so slightly before following him into his study. He turned toward me with that same expression and I started to feel like I was going to be sick.

"Bella, I have some bad news," he began.

"Yes?" I was bracing myself for my termination.

"I have to return to England for a couple of days. Business just can't seem to wait until the end of the summer, there's just no way around it."

I was finally able to take a breath, "Oh no, that's awful!"

"Yes, but I don't want to take you and the kids back. Your holiday shouldn't be interrupted just because mine is; I wanted to give you this," he said, handing me a credit card. "This is for emergencies only. I have to fly out in two hours, so I'll tell the kids after breakfast."

I had never felt so relieved in all my life. I thought for sure I was going to be sacked! We walked back into the parlor where Edward had joined the kids for breakfast. Once we had finished, Carlisle spoke up.

"Emmett, Rosie, I have to go back home for a couple of days," he said.

"No daddy!" Rose cried. "I don't want to leave!"

"You don't have to, darling," he said gently. "It's just me who has to leave; you'll stay here with your brother and Bella."

Edward cleared his throat softly.

"...And your cousin," Carlisle added warily. "You'll be so busy having fun with Bella; you won't even notice I'm gone."

Rose relented but continued to pout while Emmett seemed indifferent to the news, but I could see a brief flash of hurt in his eyes. He resented how much his father worked.

Once Carlisle had left, Rose and Emmett went to their rooms to sulk. I could tell this wasn't going to be a fun couple of days. Edward and I sat on the couch in the living room and watched TV; I had my legs resting on his lap and he was gently massaging my calves. I couldn't concentrate on the program or his wonderful attentions, though, my mind was elsewhere.

"What's wrong, Love? You're distracted," he said, moving his hand up past my knee.

"I'm worried about Emmett, he's just so angry all the time! I wish I knew what to say to him to make him feel like everything is going to be OK."

"I think he just needs time, Love. He's still misses his mum and he's choosing to mourn on his own terms. Maybe it's healthy that he's reacting this way."

"I don't know, I think he may need to vent some frustrations but he doesn't know how or who he can turn to. Carlisle seems so distant with him sometimes."

"He's mourning too, Love."

"Yeah, you're right. But, I wish I could get both of them to sit and talk and maybe just have one big cry or something."

Edward chuckled and kissed my knee, "you're too sweet for your own good, Love."

"Bella?" Rose had finally wandered back downstairs again.

"Yeah sweetie?" I pulled my legs off of Edward's lap and got up to see what she needed.

"What are we going to do today?"

"Whatever you want," I said. "Do you want to go shopping again?"

"No."

I'm sure my eyes went as wide as saucers; Rosie didn't want to shop.

"Well, what do you want to do?"

"Will you watch a movie with me? You and Edward."

"Of course, sweetie! What do you want to watch?"

"Can we watch Finding Nemo again?"

"Absolutely."

I found the DVD and put it in the player as Rosie jumped on the couch next to Edward. She was snuggling up close to him and I sat on the other side of her; I smiled at the two of them, they looked so sweet together. We were at the part where the barracuda was about to attack Coral when Rose grabbed my hand, she buried her face into Edward's shoulder as she squealed, "I don't like this part!"

"Shhhh, it's OK, Rosie," Edward whispered. "It's just a movie."

"Can I look now?"

"Yes," I said, stroking her hair. "It's all over."

I tried to pull my hand away, but Rose had a tight grip on it.

We sat there for a bit longer until I noticed Rose was pulling my hand and arm across her body; I was about to ask what she was doing when my hand came in contact with another hand I was quite familiar with: Edward's. He took my hand as we looked at each other curiously. I turned to Rose, "Why did you do that, sweetie?"

She rolled her eyes and looked up at me, "You know you wanted to."

"What do you mean?" Edward asked.

"Don't worry," she said calmly. "I won't tell Daddy."

"Won't tell him what?" I asked.

"That you and Edward are girlfriend and boyfriend," she answered.

"How do you know that?"

"Puh-lease," she huffed. "It's so obvious! You two look at each other all the time."

"Rose, that doesn't mean we're dating," I said.

"Whatever," she said as she quietly watched the rest of the movie.

I gave Edward a worried look and he shot one right back to me; then his expression softened, as if to say 'don't worry, everything will be fine.'

I sure hope so.

**EPOV**

Bella took Rosie upstairs to play with her dolls after the movie. I sat on the couch for a while, trying to summon up the courage to talk to Emmett. I steeled myself and went to his room.

"What?" Emmett grunted when I knocked on him door.

"It's Edward. Can I come in?"

"Fine."

I opened the door to find him reading a comic book; he didn't look up as I entered.

"What are you reading?"

He lifted the front so I could see it: The Punisher.

"Nice! Didn't like the movie, though. It was kind of stupid."

"Yeah."

I looked at his stack of comics: X-Men, Spiderman, Dare Devil, etc. These characters have taken over for actual human contact for this kid. It made me really sad.

I sat on the edge of his bed and thought of something to say; but I was coming up with nothing.

Finally, I took the plunge, "Are you upset that your dad left today?"

He mumbled something that sounded like 'I don't know.' I'll take that as a yes.

"You know, your dad probably works so much because he misses your mum; it takes his mind off of how much he's hurting. Just like you and these comics, you don't have to really think about anything, you just read and get lost in the story."

I turned to him to find his nose still buried in the comic. I couldn't tell if he was absorbing what I was saying, but continued anyway.

"I know you're sad; I'm sad too. I miss Aunt Esme very much."

He scoffed, "What do you care? You only care about yourself."

"That's not true," I said quietly. "I care about you all; but I've been very angry at the world, just like you. I've been angry that my dad left and he's never tried to contact me. I've been angry that I let myself get so reckless, and then that anger just made me do more stupid things. I remember what I was like when I was 11, Emmett; I didn't talk to people and I buried myself in comic books and music just like you're doing now. I don't want you to end up like me."

"What makes you think I'll end up like you?" He asked defensively.

"You remind me too much of me," I said. "And, you may very well head down the same path. You might not, that's true; but I've been there, and I know that falling through the cracks is easy to do."

"I'm not you," he said, rising up off his bed. "And I'm not my father, either! I'm not going to end up like either of you!"

"You could do a lot worse than ending up like Carlisle," I said.

"I won't! I won't be like him!" He started to cry. "I hate him! And I hate you! I wish everyone would just leave me alone!"

"We can't do that, Emmett. We love you too much! You can't just give up on people you love."

"Dad did! He's given up on me! He doesn't care!"

"That's not true, he loves you!"

"He doesn't! Just go away! I don't want to talk to you anymore!"

"OK, but just remember that your dad is hurting just as much as you are. You need to let him know how you feel."

"GO!!" Emmett screamed as he collapsed on his bed in tears.

I walked out and ran into Bella in the hall.

"What's going on? Why is Emmett crying?"

"I was trying to talk to him, but he doesn't want to communicate right now," I said.

"What did you say?"

"Just that everyone is hurting and he should talk to Carlisle to let him know how he feels."

She took my hand, "At least you tried. Let's just give him some space right now."

I kissed her hand, "That's what I was thinking."

**BPOV**

I was thankful that Edward took the initiative to talk to Emmett. Even though it wasn't as productive as he had hoped, I'm sure it at least lit a fire under Emmett, and maybe he's thinking about talking with his father now.

Or maybe I'm being naive.

Once the kids were in bed for the night, Edward and I sat on the couch in the same position we were in earlier. I leaned my head back against the arm rest as Edward massaged my legs; he really has a wonderful pair of hands on him. His right hand was working on my right knee as his other hand slipped down my thigh towards my hip.

"What are you up to, Mr. Cullen?"

"Shhhh, just relax. I want to make you feel good, Love."

"You want to get me into trouble," I said; I couldn't get the grin off my face.

"Maybe," he teased. "I certainly want to see you naked."

I covered my mouth to suppress the guffaw that hit me, "Evil man."

His hand move past my hip and up my side where he found a sensitive part of my body. I jerked away in response as the look on his face went from evil to downright maniacal.

"Ticklish?"

"No."

He hit the spot again and I made a high pitched squeaking noise.

"No," he mocked. "Not a bit ticklish."

"Stop!" I cried as he went for the spot again. "You'll wake the kids up!"

"Good, maybe they'll come down and help me torture you!"

"Edward!" I squealed as he continued his attack. I was saved by the doorbell ringing.

"Who would stop by at this time of night?" I asked, debating whether to call the cops or answer the door.

Edward stood and went to the window, "What the hell are they doing here?"

"Who?"

He opened the door to reveal Jasper and Alice.

"What are you two doing here?" Edward asked.

"Well, when you told me your uncle went back to England for a couple of days, I thought it would be a good time for me to visit," Jasper said. "And, of course, I had to bring the little pixie along."

"Are...are you two seeing each other now?" I asked as Alice blushed.

"I guess you could say that," Alice replied.

"You gonna let us in, mate?" Jasper inquired.

Edward stepped aside to let them in; Alice bound up and gave me a hug. "I've missed you, Bells! Haven't seen you in days!"

"I've missed you, too! It's nice having a girl my own age to talk to."

"Well, isn't this lovely?" Jasper commented. "Now! Where does your uncle keep that nice, aged scotch of his?"

"Jasper," Edward warned. "My cousins are right upstairs!"

"We're not going to get drunk," Jasper said. "Just have a little scotch while we sit around and shoot the breeze."

"I don't know, Jasper," I said. "I really don't want one of the kids to come down and find me drinking, even if I don't get drunk."

"Don't worry! We'll sit outside and enjoy this lovely night."

"It's OK, Bells," Alice said. "We won't do anything naughty."

I looked to Edward who had the same worried expression as I did; he shrugged his shoulders in defeat. "Alright, as long as we don't drink too much or get too loud."

I walked towards the stairs, "I'm going to check on the kids really quick."

"Hurry," Alice said.

I made sure Rosie and Emmett were fast asleep before I headed out onto the balcony outside of the kitchen. Jasper had already set up four glasses with ice and scotch and Alice handed one to me.

"I've never had scotch before," I said, sniffing the golden-brown liquid. "Isn't it supposed to be strong?"

"If it's good," Jasper said, raising his glass in toast. We all held our glasses up to his. "To friends and loves, both new and old."

"Here, here," Edward said as he gave me a wink.

We sat out there for two hours talking, I was getting a bit tipsy, and so I set my drink aside for the night. However, I was still willing to spill my guts to Alice as we sat across the balcony from the boys.

"So, how are you and Edward doing? Last time I knew, you wanted to slap him in the face."

"Things change," I said.

"Clearly; have you two done anything, yet?"

"Kind of..."

"Oh, you can't leave me with that! What did you do?"

"Well, the other night we got pretty hot and heavy," I said. "We were in his room making out, and he started, you know..."

"No, I don't know; what?"

"He got into my panties, and...you know ... fingered me."

"Nice! Was that all?"

"Well, yeah! We can't do much else in a house with his little cousins! It'd just be wrong!"

"You could be really quiet."

"I don't want to be really quiet! I want it to be passionate!"

"Oooo, listen to you! Miss I-want-romance-novel sex! Well, what are you going to do?"

"I'm not sure! I can't think of a way for us to get away from the kids for a night. I can't just leave them with someone!"

"You could leave them with me and Jasper."

"No! I can't do that; it's my job to watch these kids. If I leave them with someone while I go have sex with Edwards, I'd be so ashamed of myself."

"Wow! You have morals the likes of which I've never seen, Bells," Alice said. "I'm very impressed."

"Yeah, well sometimes I wish I didn't have these morals! It'd make my life so much easier!"

"True! Look at me! I have no morals and my life's a bloody breeze!"

We laughed as the boys walked over.

"What's so funny, then?" Jasper asked.

"Oh nothing," I said. "You're just dating a ho."

"Hey!" Alice laughed, hitting me in the arm.

"OK," Edward said. "I think it's time we go back inside."

He lifted me out of my chair and threw me over his shoulder; I tried not to scream as he carried me inside.

"Put me down!" I said in as hushed a scream as I could manage.

"In good time, Love."

He set me on the couch as Alice and Jasper followed us into the living room. The clock on the wall said it was already 1 a.m.

"Wow, I didn't think we'd been out there that long," I said.

"Wasn't that long," Jasper said. "Now, where can we crash for the night?"

He looked to Edward who shrugged. "Couch maybe?"

"It'll have to be the couch," I said. "All the rooms are taken. Unless..."

"Unless what, Miss Bella?" Jasper asked, sitting next to me.

"You two could have my bed," I suggested. "And I could stay with Edward."

"Sounds good," Jasper said, pulling Alice up the stairs as I walked up to show them to my room.

I flipped on my light and led them in, then showed them where the bathroom was before heading back down the hall. Edward was sitting on his bed with his head in his hands when I got to his room.

I stood in front of him and ran my hands through his hair; he looked up at me with a thoughtful gaze. "How are we going to do it, Love?"

"I still haven't figured it out," I said, sitting next to him and putting my head on his shoulder. He wrapped an arm around me and sighed.

"I don't mean to sound like I'm pushing; I just want it so bad. You understand, right?"

I nodded.

"And you know that I'm not only interested in the sex, right? I love you; you're everything I want in a woman."

I turned to look at him and saw his face was full of adoration and wonder. He brushed his nose against mine before capturing my lips in a kiss. I debated deepening the kiss, but decided we should probably go to bed before either of us gets too excited.

I pulled away, "Goodnight, my love."

His smile got even bigger, "Goodnight, my sweet Bella."

**EPOV**

There was a knock at the door at 6 a.m.

At first, I thought it was going to be Jasper, playing a joke on us. I walked to the door and threw it open.

"What Jasper? You cu..."

Standing there was a woman who looked remarkably like my late Aunt Esme.

"I'm sorry," I said quickly. "I thought you were my friend trying to be funny."

She gave me a smirk, "No, I'm not known for being funny."

"I'm sorry, can I help you?"

"I'm here to see my niece and nephew."

"Oh! Are you Esme's sister?"

"Yes, I'm Elizabeth. Sorry I didn't call, but I knew Carlisle would be at the summer home, and I wanted to see Emmett and Rosie."

"Oh no, it's OK. But, Carlisle isn't here right now, he's in England taking care of some business. I'm his nephew, Edward."

"You're babysitting, huh?"

"No, actually; the kids have an au pair, Bella. You'll love her, she's great."

I let her in and excused myself to my room; Bella was still fast asleep.

"Bella! Wake up!"

"What?" She asked, coming out of her haze.

"My Aunt's sister is here, we've got to get everyone up!"

Bella shot up in the bed and threw the covers off of her; she ran down the hall to get the kids up as I took care of Alice and Jasper.

"Jas, get up mate! My Aunt's sister is here, you've got to go!"

"Hang on, hang on," he moaned, "Five more minutes."

"No! Now! You both need to get up!"

"And what? Shimmy down the drainpipe?"

"I don't care, as long as she doesn't see you!"

"Thanks mate."

I ran back to my room to put on a shirt and got back to the top of the stairs as the kids were greeting their aunt.

"Auntie Lizzie! I missed you so much!" Rose cried.

"Oh, and I missed my little Rosebud! And Emmett, look at you, you're all grown up!"

"No I'm not," Emmett replied with a blush; it's the happiest I've seen him in the past week or so.

Bella came out of her room and we both walked down to where hugs were being exchanged.

"Hi, I'm Bella; I'm the children's au pair."

"Hello, I'm Elizabeth; it's nice to meet you. How long have you been with the children?"

"A couple weeks now; I'm just going to be with them for the summer."

"Well," Elizabeth said, looking to the children. "I haven't seen these dear little ones in too long. I was hoping I could spend all day with them, if that's alright?"

"Oh," Bella said. "I don't know, they're father's not here right now."

"I'm sure Carlisle won't mind," Elizabeth said. "I just wanted to be with them; maybe take them into Dublin. I won't be but a few hours."

"Please Bella?" Rose pleaded.

"Yeah, please, Bella? We haven't seen Aunt Lizzie since mum died," Emmett said.

That clinched it; I saw Bella's eyes well up a bit as she said, "Of course, go ahead."

"Splendid," Elizabeth said. "Why don't we have some breakfast and then you kids can get ready to go?"

Bella and I walked to the kitchen, it seems in all of the commotion Beatrice decided to get up a little early; she was already making breakfast.

"Be ready in a moment," she said.

After breakfast, Rose and Emmett raced back up the stairs to get dressed. Bella and I stood awkwardly in the doorway with Elizabeth, just trying to make conversation.

"So, how has the weather been here?" Elizabeth asked.

"Very nice," Bella replied. "Though, I've never been here before; so I have no frame of reference for that."

We all chuckled lightly as the kids came back down.

"Ready?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yes," they said in unison.

"OK," she looked to me and Bella. "We'll be back before dinner."

She handed Bella a card, "That's my cell phone number, in case you get worried or something happens."

They left and I was there – alone with Bella.

She turned to look at me as if she were thinking the exact same thing I was.

I chased her back up the stairs.

**Once again, put your weapons down! The lemony goodness is coming! I just didn't want to rush into it…but, next time…**


	8. Chapter 8

Like I said, patience is a virtue

**Like I said, patience is a virtue...but instant gratification is truly awesome!**

**BPOV**

Once Edward gave me that look, I ran up the stairs like my life depended on it.

Of course, he was right behind me, ready to pounce at any given moment; that made it more exciting in my opinion. It was like he was chasing me, I had become his prey; it gave me a little thrill.

Although, we were stopped in the hall, caught in a debate: his room or mine. I turned to him to ask where he preferred when he picked me up and carried me into his room. I took his face in my hands and captured his lips -- kissing and biting and sucking with everything I have in me.

He laid me on his bed and positioned himself over me, placing his knee in between my legs to nudge them apart. I complied and he nestled himself near the apex of my legs; I could feel his need pressed against me already.

I lifted his shirt over his head as he continued to manipulate my lips; he pulled back and braced himself about a foot away from me, just staring.

"What?"

"You're so beautiful."

I closed the distance between us, snaking my arms around his neck and claiming his mouth once more. His right hand found its way to the tie on my dress and made quick work of it; he pulled my dress open to reveal me in nothing more than a pair of panties; in my haste to get the kids up this morning, I decided to forgo a bra.

He trailed his lips from my mouth down to my chest, occasionally nipping at my flesh as he went. He took my right breast into his mouth and lavished wonderful attention on it while his left hand ran down my stomach until it reached my panties. His fingers played with the edge of the fabric, teasing and tickling, before dipping down lower to find my clit. He brushed past it once and I gasped, causing him to lift his head and grin wickedly at me.

"Does my Bella like that?"

"Yes," I whispered. "Do it again."

He brushed me again and got the same reaction; after a few more passes, he placed his thumb over the sensitive nub and began to massage it gently making my hips buck in response.

"Easy Love," he laughed as he slid one finger into me. _Easy?_ I thought, _this was going to be far from easy._

I moved my hips in time with his strokes; his lips began to trail their way back up to my face and he placed light kisses all over. I unclenched my hands from the sheets and went for the button on his pants; I wanted to please him like he was pleasing me. I unzipped him and reached my hand into find what I was looking for, what I wrapped my hand around shocked me: he was huge. I was so surprised, I actually pulled my hand away.

"What?" He asked as he stopped his attentions on my lower half.

"N-nothing," I said.

"No, something's wrong; what is it, Love?"

"It's just that, I didn't expect it to be so..."

"So...What?" But I could tell by the amused look on his face that he already knew what I was going to say.

"...Big."

"You think I have a big willie, huh?"

"Yes."

"Well, let's have a better look, shall we?"

He stood up and dropped his pants and boxers; I had seen him naked before, but I think I was too nervous and shy to get a good look at the size of him.

He leaned back over me and slowly pulled my panties off, I shrugged out of my now-open dress and laid back against the pillows, waiting for him.

He moved back over me and kissed me sweetly, brushing my hair back from my face and shoulders. His erection was positioned near my entrance; he pulled his pelvis back and was about to enter when he looked at me.

"Ready?"

I nodded.

He pushed himself into me slowly, I cringed a bit as his size began to become an issue. I gasped when he pushed past my hymen, but wouldn't let him stop.

"No!" I cried. "I want this."

He continued to push until he was in me completely; god he was huge! The pain and pleasure mixed together to create a sensation I'd never known before.

"Are you alright, Love?"

"Yes, just keep going," I said. "It's starting to feel really good."

He started pushing in and out of me in gentle, even strokes. I dragged my nails down his back and encouraged him to go faster.

"Patience, Love," he laughed. "We have time. I want to savor all of this."

"But it's torture," I whined. "I can feel something building inside of me, and I don't know what it is."

"It's just your body reacting to this new experience," he said, his voice and breathing were becoming labored.

"I've had an orgasm before," I said, practically panting at this point.

"Not like this," he said. "It's different."

It certainly felt different; I felt like there was some weird pressure building in my pelvic region. It made the muscles in my vagina start to contract and compress around Edward. He suddenly dropped his head down to the pillow my head was on and made a low, masculine growl.

"Oh god, Bella! Don't do that!"

"Do what?"

"Your tightening all around me, it's driving me crazy!" He cried. "I'm not going to last much longer."

Our pace had picked up considerably, I could feel beads of sweat form on my brow as I heard whimpers and moans escape my lips.

"Oh, Edward!" I cried. "I need to come so bad."

"Oh fuck!!" Edward screamed, pulling his head back from the pillow. "I'm already there, angel!"

My climax hit me like a freight train as I screamed his name; he returned the favor a few seconds later.

"BELLA!" He screamed as he came. "I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!"

"I love you, too," I said as I started to come back down.

He pulled out and collapsed next to me on the bed; after a moment, he lifted his head and looked at me.

"More than worth the wait," he said as he threw an arm around my waist and pulled me close to him.

"Yes," I agreed. "That was as epic as I had hoped it would be."

"Epic?" He laughed. "It was fucking phenomenal!! I've never felt like that before."

"Good," I said. "So, you never have to be with any other girl ever again."

"I new that before I made love to you, angel," He said kissing me.

We lay there in each other's arms for the next hour until we decided to get up and take a shower together – and go for round two.

**EPOV**

God bless Aunt Elizabeth!

That woman has single-handedly made my year – no; my lifetime. She gave me the opportunity to make love to my Bella, and I will be eternally grateful.

After our hour-long shower, we got dressed – with Bella diverting my efforts to get her a third time – and went downstairs.

It was about noon, and we decided to go into town to have lunch. We found a little pizza place and had a very lovely meal; so this is what it's like to be in a serious, loving relationship.

We were about to make our way back home when Bella passed a pharmacy and stopped dead in her tracks.

"What's wrong, Love?"

The color had left her skin and I noticed a bead of sweat start to form at her temple.

"LOVE?!" I said, trying to snap her out of her trance.

"Condom!" She cried, a little too loudly.

"What?" I said, calming her down and taking her someplace more private. "What are you talking about?"

"We didn't use a condom!" She said, officially in a blind panic now. "We didn't use any protection! What are we going to do?"

I started to get a little panicked myself; I love Bella, but I'm not ready to be a father.

"OK, calm down," I said. "One time doesn't mean you're gonna get pregnant."

"Twice, we did it twice!" She cried. "And there's a very good chance! It would just be my luck too, wouldn't it? I got the kids I'm supposed to be watching out of the house so I could have sex with their cousin!! I'm going to get pregnant! And I'm going to hell!!"

"Love, you really need to calm down," I sighed. "And stop being ridiculous! We didn't do anything wrong. You didn't just kick the kids out of the house, they're with their aunt. And this wasn't just sex! This was meant to be."

She finally took a long, soothing breath.

"You're right," she said. "We didn't do anything wrong – except not using protection – and everything is going to be alright."

She looked up at me with adoration in her eyes, "I love you; you know that, right?"

"I gathered that," I teased as I pulled her in for a kiss.

She pulled away suddenly, "Morning after pill."

"Come again?"

"Don't they have morning after pills here? We could get one of those, right?"

"I don't know," I said turning to the pharmacy. "We could ask, I suppose."

She practically ran to the building and barged in to the counter.

"Can I help you?" The Pharmacist asked.

Bella looked around shyly and, in a low voice, asked, "Do you carry the morning after pill?"

"Levonelle? I'm sorry miss, not here. You'd have to go to Dublin for that."

"Any particular place?"

"Usually one of the bigger chains, I could call if you like."

"Thank you," she said.

**BPOV**

The Pharmacist found a place in Dublin that carried the pill; Edward and I took the train in as soon as possible.

I sat beside him, my knee bouncing uncontrollably as we sped to our destination. I've never been so nervous in my whole life; I'm not ready to be a mom, I'm not ready to start a family – am I? I looked at Edward, he had a surprisingly serene expression on his face, considering our situation. I'd like to have kids with him, I'd like to spend the rest of my life with him, truth be told. But, at the right time – which is not now.

We got off at our stop and found the pharmacy. It was £22 for the pills, but I'm sure it was worth it; I bought a bottle of water with my little wonder drugs and downed them as soon as we were outside.

"There, feel better now?" Edward asked, wrapping his arm around me as we walked back to the train station.

"Yes," I said. "Now that we've had that little scare, we'll be more careful next time; right?"

"Right," he agreed, brandishing the box of condoms he bought.

**I'm sorry it's so short, but I've gotta get some shut eye and ponder what will happen next. Thoughts?**


	9. Chapter 9

BPOV

**Consequences and such…**

**Oh, and two new characters enter – a little OOC, but who cares, right?**

**Enjoy…**

**BPOV**

We got back to the house before the kids and Elizabeth returned; I breathed a sigh of relief at that.

However, my relief was short-lived as we walked into the house.

"Hello? Who's there?"

Edward and I stopped dead in our tracks: Carlisle was home. He walked out of his study and approached us with a stern look on his face.

"Where were you two? And where are the children?"

Before I had a chance to answer, we heard a voice at the door.

"Bella? Edward? We're home!" Rosie called.

"Rosie, where were you?" Carlisle asked running to pick her up.

"DADDY!! You're home!" Rose cried as her father held her close.

"Hello Carlisle, long-time no see," Elizabeth said walking into the house.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"Daddy!" Rose said. "You said a bad word!"

"Rosie, Emmett, go up stairs, please," Carlisle said.

The kids obeyed their father immediately. I couldn't blame them; the tone of his voice was starting to frighten me – especially when he looked at Edward and me with that expression of distain.

"I'll deal with the two of you later," he growled.

We took that as our cue to get the hell out of there, fast! We were up the stairs in quick, determined steps; I was about to go into my room when Edward grabbed my arm and led me behind a wall where we would be out of sight, but still able to hear Carlisle and Elizabeth.

"It probably goes without saying that you don't look happy to see me," Elizabeth began. "But, I'm not going to apologize for showing up like this; I wanted to see my niece and nephew."

"You had no right to come here," Carlisle replied in a low, dangerous voice. "I told you, I don't need you coming around the kids anymore. All you're going to do is make them think of their mother; and once you leave, I'm the one who's stuck with the job of taking their minds off of Esme."

"Maybe they should think of her more often. And maybe you shouldn't be so quick to take their minds off of her! How often do you talk about my sister? Especially to Emmett; that poor boy needs help, Carlisle. He's so angry and depressed."

"Do not presume to insinuate that I'm not paying attention to my children," Carlisle was livid at this point. "There is nothing wrong with Emmett! He's just a normal boy who's still sad about losing his mum, that's all!"

"That's not all!" Elizabeth managed to match Carlisle's anger, blow for blow. "He feels like you're abandoning him, but he's too angry to bring it up to you. If you were around more, you'd see that!"

"I did not abandon him! I love my son! And I want you out of my house this instant! If you ever try to contact my children again, I'll have a restraining order out on you!"

Edward and I sat there stunned; I secretly hoped that Elizabeth would say more, I didn't want her to give up without a fight. But the next sound we heard was the door slamming behind her as she left – maybe forever.

"BELLA! EDWARD!" Carlisle called after a few moments.

Edward squeezed my hand and we walked down to face our fate.

Carlisle stood in the foyer glaring back and forth between us; I held my breath, waiting for him to speak.

"Miss Swan," he began; I didn't like the sound of that. "I'm sorry I did not inform you that the children were not to be allowed around their Aunt Elizabeth. But, as their care-taker, I had hoped you would have known better than to let them walk off with a person you had never met before."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Cullen," I said, hanging my head. "I thought the children would want to spend some time with their aunt."

His expression softened a bit, "It's alright, Bella; you didn't know."

Carlisle's face hardened again when he turned to Edward, "Where did you take Bella today while the kids were with Elizabeth?"

"We were home most of the day," Edward said. "We had just gone to have dinner a little bit ago, that's where we were coming in from."

He beheld Edward skeptically before turning back to me.

"Have the children eaten?"

"I'm not sure; do you want me to go find out?"

"No, I'll do it. You two can go now."

As soon as he dismissed us, Edward and I ran back upstairs. Edward tried to grab my hand and lead me into his room, but I brushed him off. "Not now."

He glanced at Carlisle coming up the stairs then and nodded.

"I'll come by later," Edward whispered as he pushed his door open and went into his room.

"Goodnight," I called to Carlisle.

"Goodnight Bella," Carlisle said, giving me a reassuring smile.

**EPOV**

That was close – too close.

Bella and I had been laughing as we stumbled into the house, and I had been carry that box of Trojans for all the world to see. I had to hide it behind my back and tuck it down the back of my pants so Carlisle wouldn't see it.

Once all of the tension and drama was over, I flung myself on my bed and thought about the last 24 hours. I went from drinking scotch with Jasper on the balcony, to finally getting intimate with the most beautiful woman alive, to wondering whether my uncle was going to send me, or my girlfriend, packing.

As I stood there in front of Carlisle, I was ready to take the blame for every thing that happened today; though, I'm sure Carlisle already suspected it was all my fault anyway.

I looked up to my clock, it was 7 p.m. I would have to wait here for at least another two hours before I even thought about going to Bella's room. I rolled over and wondered if she was thinking about me, too.

I chuckled at that thought, I've never cared if a bird thought about me; I've never stayed up at night, wondering if she liked me or not. But, then again, no other girl was quite like Bella.

I pulled my book out from under my bed and lost myself in it until I dozed off. I woke up a little later with a start.

"Shit! I fell asleep!"

The clock read 10 p.m.; I sprung out of bed and made my way to Bella's door.

"Bella!" I whispered as I heard her get up and walk to the door. She opened it and let me in.

"Are you OK, Love?"

"I'm fine," she said, sitting back on her bed. "I'm just glad to still be employed."

"I wouldn't have let Carlisle sack you," I said. "I would have taken the blame for everything."

She rolled her eyes and smiled. "You're sweet, but I don't think even you could stop Carlisle from firing me."

"Well, let's play a little devil's advocate here," I began as she looked at me, confused. "If you had been sacked, we'd get to go back to England and be together all the time."

She pondered the notion. "I guess I never thought about that."

I sat next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders; I pressed my forehead against her right temple as she wrapped her arm around my waist.

"I love you," I said.

"I love you, too," she answered.

I pulled her back onto the bed and started placing kisses on her face; she turned her head to allow me access to her lips.

I removed her shirt as she went for the button on my pants. I was about to pull my own shirt off when we were stopped by a deadly voice.

"I should have known this would happen," Carlisle said from the doorway; he stood with his arms crossed over his chest as he leaned against the door jam with a disgusted expression.

"Carlisle," I said. "We…we were going to tell you when the time was right but…"

"I want you both out of my house before the children wake up tomorrow."

Carlisle turned to leave when I leaped up and raced after him.

"Wait! Carlisle, don't do this! This is my fault, not Bella's; just tell me to leave and I'll go. But, please, don't let Bella go! She needs this job, and the kids are finally really starting to like her!"

I felt like my plea was falling on deaf ears as he continued to walk back to his room. Then he stopped and turned to me, "You're right; it is your fault. Like most things in your life, you managed to cock this up supremely and almost got a very nice young lady fired. You're poison, Edward; you just can't stop yourself from spoiling everything around you. Pack your things and leave, now!"

"Fine," I said, holding back the tears that threatened to spill. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of knowing he got to me.

I packed my things and left without even saying goodbye to Bella.

**BPOV**

He really did it; he took the bullet for me. Carlisle was probably seconds from calling for a plane ticket to send me back to England when Edward took the blame for everything – just like he said he would.

But then he left. He left without saying goodbye. Was he upset that I didn't fight for him?

I was left to worry that the man I love doesn't love me anymore; why else would he not tell me goodbye? Not hold me in his arms one last time?

Or was he afraid that he'd get me in more trouble? Yeah, that had to be it.

I got up the next day and went immediately to Carlisle's room.

"Yes," he answered at my knock.

"It's Bella; can I talk to you for a minute?"

He opened the door and gestured for me to walk in.

"What's up?"

"I'm sorry," I said. "You're right; I shouldn't have left the kids with their aunt today. But, Emmett said they hadn't seen her since their mother passed away, and I caved."

He chuckled, "Yes, both of my children can be very persuasive when they want to be."

"Also," I continued, "I hadn't planned on what happened between me and Edward to go that far. I was hoping we could keep things quiet until we got back to England and I wasn't working for you anymore."

"So, you were just going to lie to me all summer?"

"Not lie, just omit certain truths," I said.

He laughed out loud at that, "My god! Edward really is a bad influence on every person he meets."

"He's really not as bad as you think," I said defensively. "I could see him trying to be more responsible; he was really good with the kids when we were alone with them. He even tried to talk to Emmett about why he's been so surly these days."

"It's not his place to talk to my son," Carlisle said, suddenly upset again. "And I really wish people would stop suggesting that there is something wrong with Emmett. He is fine; he just needs time to heal."

"Maybe he would heal faster if he got to talk to you about it," I said. "When Edward talked to him, he got very upset; I think he's waiting for you to approach him to talk."

He looked like he was about to yell at me, but he stopped himself. He looked at me with tears welling up in his eyes.  
"I don't know how," he said sadly. "I just…I can't bring myself to talk about Esme with anyone, not even my children. I miss her so much."

He broke into tears and I stood there awkwardly as he cried. I wanted to comfort him, but was unsure if that was crossing the employer/employee line – even if said employer is weeping. Luckily, he pulled himself together quickly.

"So," he said. "Let's get the kids up and have breakfast, shall we?"

Later that day, we headed to Greystones – a town about 5 miles south of Bray – to do a little sight-seeing. However, even the beauty of Ireland couldn't do anything to lift my mood.

Edward was gone and he still hasn't tried to contact me. I was getting worried.

The car dropped us off near the marina as Carlisle announced we'd take a two hour cruise around the Irish Sea with some old friends of his.

"Billy Black is one of my dearest friends," he said. "He and his family have lived in Greystones for generations. In fact, they own the ship we'll be taking."

Carlisle continued to drone on about the trip, but I eventually managed to drown him out. I kept checking my phone, hoping by the sheer power of my telepathy that Edward would realize I wanted him to call. I at least wanted to know he was OK.

Rosie was bouncing around me excitedly, "Bella! This is going to be so much fun! I love going on boats! Do you think we'll see any sharks? Or dolphins? I love dolphins!"

"Maybe," I answered, still distracted.

"Are you OK, Bella? You seem sad."

"I'm fine, sweetie."

We boarded the ship as a tall man with long, dark hair approached us.

"Billy!" Carlisle called. "Good to see you, mate!"

"Carlisle! It's been too long, son!"

"These are my children, Emmett and Rosalie," Carlisle said, motioning to the kids. "And this is their au pair, Bella."

"It's nice to meet all of you," Billy said. "My son, Jacob should be here shortly. He's coming in from Dublin."

"I haven't seen that boy since he was a baby," Carlisle said. "How old is he now?"

"Almost 19," Billy said.

Just then, we all turned at the sound of a car pulling up with music blaring. The BMW stopped near the dock and out stepped what had to be the tallest guy I've ever seen. Upon closer inspection, he was at least 6'7". If his long, black hair was any indication, he must be Billy's son.

"Jake!" Billy called. "Come say hi to everyone!"

Jacob boarded the ship and took off his sunglasses as he smiled at all of us, "Hello everyone!"

"Jake, this is Carlisle – one of my oldest friends – and this is Emmett, Rosalie and Bella."

"Hi," he said, I noticed his gazed lingered on me for longer than it did on the others.

And, I must admit he is a very good looking guy – as tall as he is, he's still well built; I could see the muscles underneath his tight, black shirt as he put his sunglasses back in place. He had a killer smile, a slightly darker complexion – I'm guessing he's in the sun a lot – and beautiful brown eyes.

I was so enthralled with him; I almost didn't notice my phone vibrating in my pocket. I pulled it out to reveal Edward's name on the caller ID. I stepped away from the group to answer.

"Hello? Edward?" I whispered.

"Yes, Love, it's me. Why are you whispering like that?" He chuckled.

"I'm with Carlisle and the kids, I don't think it would be good if he found out I was talking to you."

"True enough; how are you doing?"

"I'm fine, just worried about you. Where are you?"

"Jasper's."

"Should have known, I guess."

"Look, I don't want to keep you long; I just wanted you to know I'm not leaving Ireland until you do. Call me when you all are coming back to Dublin and we can meet somewhere, alright?"

"OK, I love you."

"I love you too, angel."

I flipped the phone shut and looked up to find Jacob standing not ten feet away from me.

"Secret boyfriend?"

"No, just a cousin of mine; he's been in some trouble," I don't know why I was lying to Jacob, it's not like he'd tell Carlisle on me – at least I don't think he would.

"I'm sorry to hear that," he said sincerely. "Anyway, I think we're about to launch, so we'll be getting ready to eat not long after."

"OK, where did everybody else go?"

"Lido deck," he said offering me his arm. "Come on, I'll show you."

He led me to meet the rest of the party, as we walked down to the deck, I could see Billy looking at us with an excited expression on his face. Once we were within earshot, I heard Billy say, "Make a very nice pair, don't they?"

Carlisle smiled and looked our way; I could have sworn he gave a little nod to Billy.

A man in a white suit came up and whispered something in Billy's ear.

"Looks like lunch is ready," he said.

We all filed into a very nice dining room; I went to sit next to Rosie when Jacob came up behind me and pulled out my chair for me.

"Allow me, milady," he said bowing.

"Thank you, kind sir," I said, sitting as he push the chair back in gently.

I heard a little cough beside me and turned to find Rosie giving me a perplexed look.

"You don't like him, do you?"

"Who?"

"Jacob."

"Why wouldn't I like him, he's very nice?"

"But, I thought you liked Edward," she said, lowering her voice. "I thought you were going to marry him, and then you get to be my cousin."

I felt a strange feeling in my chest at that moment. I was touched that Rosie wanted me to be a real part of her family; but, I couldn't let her believe in things that may not happen.

"Edward and I aren't getting married, Rosie," I said. "We're just dating right now; we're too young to get married."

"My mum was your age when she married Daddy."

"Well, I think I'm still too young," I declared. "I need to finish school first."

Jacob sat beside me then and handed me a glass of wine.

"Oh, I can't drink while I'm working," I said.

"One glass won't kill you," he replied raising his glass in toast.

I tapped my glass to his reluctantly – this guy is going to be trouble.

**So thanks to whoever suggested I bring Jacob into the story. I like the direction this may be going in…**


	10. Chapter 10

(The linnybug is sitting here, cackling evilly) Muah-hahaha

**(The linnybug is sitting here, cackling evilly) Muah-hahaha! I'm drunk with POWER!! All the reviews made me this way! I'm so ecstatic that people feel so passionately about this story!**

**Jacob may or may not be causing trouble! Let's see if he can charm Bella, or if her love for Edward will keep her grounded!**

EPOV

This waiting is killing me; all I can do is sit at Jasper's flat and hope that Bella calls soon.

A big part of me wonders if Carlisle simply refuses to come to Dublin anymore; perhaps he suspects I'm here, waiting.

I was ready to give up my pining for the day and just go to bed early when Bella's ring tone started blaring from my mobile; I jumped on it, almost smashing it into a wall in my rush to answer.

"Bella?!"

"Yeah, it's me," she whispered. "How are you?"

"Depressed, lonely, suicidal; you?"

"Same," she replied. "But, we'll be heading to Dublin tomorrow."

"When?!"

"We'll leave around 10 a.m.; we're going to go to some National Museum. Do you know where that is?"

"No, but I'm sure I can find it; will Carlisle be there the whole time?"

"Most likely, but he's been in a very good mood lately. We spent all day yesterday with one of his old friends, Billy; he's being very cheerful."

"Good, no need to have him get all moody and suspicious," I stopped and thought of the right words to say. "I miss you, Love. I want to be near you so badly right now."

"I miss you, too," she said. "Don't worry, we'll be together soon."

"Alright, Love; I'll see you tomorrow."

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

I was asleep in a few minutes after I hung up my phone; I had the loveliest dream of Bella I'd ever experience.

BPOV

This is going to be tricky, I had to figure out a way to stay with Carlisle and the kids but still see Edward; even in the car on the way to Dublin, I still wasn't sure exactly how I was going to pull it off.

Rosie, as usual, could sense my distraction.

"Bella? Are you OK?"

"I'm fine, sweetie; I just thought of something I need to do later."

"What?"

"Nothing for you to worry about," I said gently. "You just have fun today, alright?"

She gave up her questioning and continued to look out the window. I sat there and pondered over every possible scenario of what could transpire today; most of them ended badly. We got to the museum and I was immediately on the lookout for Edward.

"Looking for someone?" Carlisle asked with a hint of suspicion.

"My friend Alice," I said quickly. "She said she might meet us here."

"Yay, Alice!" Rosie cried. "She's so much fun!"

"Someone call for me?" Out of nowhere appeared Alice, bouncing up to give me a hug as I stood there, bewildered.

"Hey," I said tentatively. "How are you?"

"I'm good," she said. "When you said to meet you here, I just knew this would be a fun day. So fun, in fact, that I had to bring my boyfriend."

Suddenly Jasper was there beside Alice; this was getting surreal.

"Well, this is Carlisle, Emmett and Rosie; everyone, this is Alice and Jasper."

"Nice to meet you," Carlisle said. "Where did you meet Alice, Bella?"

"She works at the Dorothy Perkins shop in the Jervis Shopping Center," I said. "Rosie and I met her while we were shopping there."

"Ah, yes! You were the one who helped Rosie spruce up Bella's wardrobe."

"It was in desperate need of some sprucing," Alice laughed.

"OK," I said. "Enough picking on Bella! The museum awaits."

We walked through the various exhibits, and I managed to keep myself back from Carlisle and the kids. Carlisle seemed to be cool with me hanging with Alice and Jasper—though I was present enough to not seem like I was trying to abandon my duties. Rosie found her way back to talk with me and Alice; she chatted Alice's ear off about fashion and such while I felt a hand grasp mine and pull be back behind a pillar, out of sight.

"I've miss you so much," Edward whispered before he claimed my lips in a much needed kiss.

I wrapped my arms around him and deepened the kiss before I reluctantly pulled away; however, the sight before me almost made me laugh out loud. Edward was wearing a hat and sunglasses in doors, like a celebrity trying to stay incognito. He also drown himself in baggy clothes, as opposed to his usually tight shirts and jeans. He was too comical for words—and I think it made me love him even more.

"You're such a dork," I said leaning my forehead into his.

"You know you love it," he replied.

I gave him one last kiss before returning to the party, but I could feel him just a few meters behind me with every step. I wanted more than anything for him to wrap his arms around my waist and place a gently kiss on my neck; wanted it so bad I started aching.

"Well, look, who it is," Carlisle said suddenly, I looked to whatever held his gaze to find Jacob walking toward us in his uber-trendy gear.

"What brings you here, Jacob?" Carlisle asked in a tone that had me on high alert.

"Just passing through," Jacob replied. "I noticed some familiar faces over here and decided to pop over and say hi."

"Isn't that nice, kids?" Carlisle asked.

"Oh, Bella," Alice said. "Introduce me to your friend."

"Jacob, this is Alice; Alice, this is Jacob, he's a son of one of Carlisle's best friends."

"Lovely to meet you," Alice said. "This is my boyfriend, Jasper."

"Hello," Jacob said.

"You know Alice," Carlisle said. "I was just thinking that you and Jasper should double date with Bella and Jacob here. Wouldn't that be fun?"

I was about to decline when Alice spoke up, "Oh, that sounds wonderful, doesn't it Bella?"

I was stunned; how could Alice want me to go out on a date with Jacob?

"I...I...don't know," I finally stammered out. "I guess it's up to Jacob."

"Oh, I'm definitely in," Jacob answered.

"Unless there's some other reason you wouldn't want to go, Bella," Carlisle said. "Is there?"

"No," I said. "I'd love to."

"Great then! I'll just take the kids for the rest of the day and you can catch the train home when you're ready," Carlisle said, taking out some money and putting it in my hand. I looked at the wad of cash warily and wondered why Carlisle was so anxious for me to go out with Jacob.

I didn't get much time to ponder as Alice was pulling me towards the ladies room. "'Scuse us, boys. We need to freshen up."

Once we were in the loo, my blood was officially up. "ALICE!! WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!!"

"Calm down, duckie, we're getting you away from Carlisle for a while," she said. "And hanging out with that tall drink of water is just the excuse we needed."

"Yes, but now we have to have him hanging around for the rest of the day," I said. "You think he's just going to be content with being the third wheel?"

"We'll find him a girl, then."

"Alice," I said rubbing my temples. "Did you notice how eager he was to go out with me? He likes me; he's not going to want to be set up with somebody else."

"Well then we'll find a way to ditch him, OK?"

"Yeah, that'll go over well with Carlisle."

"What makes you think he'll rat on us to Carlisle?"

I gave her a meaningful look and she seem to understand. "You're right; well, we're just going to have to make due. And, at least we've got your overbearing employer out of the picture for a while."

I rolled my eyes as we walked back out to find Jasper and Jacob standing there, looking kind of awkward.

"Ready?" I asked.

"Sure," Jacob said taking my hand; I resisted the urge to rip it away from him. "Where do you want to go?"

"Anywhere's fine," I said as I noticed my bespectacled paramour wandering near us; I really didn't want him to get the wrong idea. I gave Jasper a pleading look and he nodded, strolling over to where Edward stood against a pillar. Jasper whispered something in his ear and he looked back over to me with a smile: he understood that I didn't really like Jacob.

We made our way outside and down the street to a local pub; we sat at a table and Edward made his way to the bar, still keeping us in his sights. After we ordered a round of beers, Jacob noticed my constant glances in Edward's direction and started to get suspicious.

"You know him?"

"No," I said quickly. "I just noticed him wearing the hat and sunglasses inside, it seemed kind of funny to me."

"Is he bothering you? I could ask him to step outside and straighten him out if you like."

I rolled my eyes, "That won't be necessary."

"OK, but the offer's still on the table."

We continued to chat as the second round of beers arrived; I took the opportunity to make a trip to the bathroom.

"Excuse me, I'll be right back."

I made sure not to pass too close to the bar where Edward was seated but close enough that he could see where I was headed. I got to the bathroom and found that it was for one person only; that made my heart skip a beat. My heart increased even more so when I felt Edward wrap his arms around me.

"Mind if I join you, Love?"

"Well, I don't know," I teased. "It's a very small bathroom."

"I think we'll be fine," he said as he gently pushed my through the door.

I turned and took off his hat and sunglasses before throwing my arms around his neck and attacking his lips. He back me up to the sink, lift me so I could sit on it and wrap my legs around him; I decided it was a very good idea to wear a skirt today. He lifted the hem of my skirt and pushed my panties to the side as I unbuckled and unzipped his pants. This isn't exactly the most romantic place to have a tryst, but it would have to do for now. And, the idea of him taking me on a bathroom sink where somebody was bound to start banging on the door at any second was kind of exciting.

He pulled a condom out of his back pocket and rolled it on to himself quickly before entering me. I bit into his shoulder to stop myself from moaning too loud, but my god I needed him; he made me feel complete. He started sucking on my neck gently while we both rode into a sweet release. I felt a tear roll down my cheek; I looked up to him as another started to fall, but he swiftly caught it with his tongue.

"Bella angel, don't cry; it won't be long before we can be together all the time. Patience, Love."

"I don't want to be patient," I cried. "I want to be with you; I hate this, why can't Carlisle just accept that we love each other?"

"Shhhh, it will all work out, Love, you'll see," he said soothingly.

"I know, you're right," I sighed as I placed my head on his shoulder.

We got ourselves back together and made our way back to the pub, Edward stayed behind me a couple of minutes to deter suspicion.

"Wow, you were gone a long time," Jacob noted as I sat back down.

"Long line," I said. "Plus, I looked a little shabby, so I straighened up my hair and makeup."

"Ahhh," Jacob said. "You didn't have to do that for little old me."

EPOV

I put my rather pathetic disguise back on and found my seat at the bar; I really hated the fact that my girlfriend was sitting not three meters away from me and I couldn't even say anything to her. And that tosser sitting next to her, if he even attempts to do that 'yawn/stretch/put-the-arm-over-the-chair' maneuver, I'm ripping said arm out of its socket.

And what's with the pony-tail? Who even wears their hair like that anymore?

At least our rendezvous in the loo reassured me that Bella only has eyes for me; this loser was far from her type.

I ordered another beer and angled myself to see the group out of the corner of my eye; Bella's 'date' was still behaving himself, though I could tell he was trying with every moment to position himself as close to her as possible.

Suddenly, Jack – or whatever the hell his name is – stood up and came over to the bar; he stood close enough so that I could hear his order.

"How about a round of vodka shots and then a round of whiskey for me and my mates over here?"

I tried not to visibly react, but damn that was a lot of alcohol. Was he trying to get Bella drunk? He went back to his seat as the waitress took the vodka shots over to the table. Everyone picked up their drink and toasted in the middle. Not a few minutes later, the whiskey was served; Bella tilted her face in my direction, I could tell she didn't want to drink anymore. I nodded as I devised a plan.

"Come on, Bells," the loser said. "Just another one, for me?"

She complied and tapped her glass to everyone else's; then the Bastard did that bit where you twist your arm around someone else's and take a drink. As Bella raised her glass to her lips, I walked passed and 'accidentally' bumped into her; she dropped the drink all over the tosser's lap.

"Hey!" He said, brushing the remaining alcohol off of his trousers. "What's up with you, dickhead?"

He noticed it was me and his look got deadly.

"You! Why have you been staring at my girl all night? You fancy her? As if she would lower herself to be with you when she's got me!"

Bella stood up and punched him with all her force, though it didn't do as much damage as she probably would have liked.

"BELLA?! Why'd you do that for, I was protecting your honor!"

"You are an arrogant, unbelievable douche-bag! How dare you just insult somebody like that! You don't know him! And as for 'protecting my honor,' I caught you looking down the front of my shirt one too many times to believe you give a damn about my honor! You know what? This 'date' is over."

With that, Bella stormed out with Alice hot on her heels; Jasper stayed behind to help me make sure the asshole didn't follow them.

"I should go check on her, right?" Jacob asked.

"No," Jasper said. "She doesn't want to see you. Look, I'm going to take the girls home, why don't you just go somewhere and cool off?"

Jacob looked like he was about to disagree, but stormed off to the bar and ordered a drink. I took off after Bella as soon as his attention was diverted.

I found Bella and Alice near Jasper's car and ran to my love, picking her up and holding her close to me. I pulled back and kissed her soundly before I had to, reluctantly, let her go.

"I love you," I said. "I love you more than life, you know that, right?"

"Yes," she said as she began to tear up again. "And I love you the same."

"Until we meet again, my love."

BPOV

I got back to the house and hoped that Jacob hadn't already tried to contact Carlisle and rat me out; though, I still wasn't sure what I was going to tell him anyway. Should I just say I had a nice time and be very vague about whether or not I'll see Jacob again? After all, keeping Jacob as a kind of cover could be a good way to get out of the house more often—and Carlisle certainly approves of him.

Listen to me; I'm getting more conniving by the second. Go me!

I entered and was immediately bombarded by Rosie.

"What happened on your date? Did he kiss you? Did he hold your hand? What happened?" Underneath the inquiries, I could tell she wanted to make sure I wasn't cheating on Edward.

"Nothing happened, Rosie," I explained. "We went to dinner and had a nice time and then I came home. That's all."

"Did you have fun?" Carlisle asked, coming in from the other room.

"Sure, it was fun," I said with faux enthusiasm—perhaps too much.

"Are you two going to go out again?"

"Maybe; if he calls me, sure I'll go out with him again." Rosie got a concerned look on her face, but I gave her a wink to know that everything was fine.

"Well good," Carlisle said as he went back to his office. "He's a nice boy; he'd be very good for you."

I rolled my eyes at Rosie and walked back upstairs with her following close behind. I was about to go into my room when she pushed me down the hall to her room and closed the door behind us.

"So, you don't really like this Jacob, right? You're just pretending, aren't you?"

"Shhhh," I cautioned. "Yes, but you can't let anyone else know, OK?"

"I won't; but why are you still going to see him if you don't like him? Why pretend?"

I patted the space on the bed next to me and she sat down.

"OK, what I'm about to tell you can't leave this room, promise," I said holding out my pinky to hers.

She hooked her pinky to mine and we shook them, "I promise."

"I want your father to think I'm going out with Jacob so I can see Edward. You know he's banished from the house now, right?"

"Yeah."

"So, I can't see him unless I sneak out. Your father would prefer it if I didn't see him, but I love him; I have to see him."

We heard a noise outside of the door and both froze: was Carlisle listening in?

I tore the door open to find Emmett crouched over; he had been putting his ear to the keyhole.

"Emmett? What are you doing?" I said relieved. "You scared me."

"I just wanted to know what you and Rosie were talking about," he relied as I pulled him into the room and closed the door.

"You won't tell your dad, will you?"

"No, I promise; but why do you like Edward anyway? He's a loser! That's what Dad always says, anyway – can't get his life together."

"He's trying," I explained. "And if we could all believe in him, that would make it a lot easier. It might even make your dad see him in a different light, as well."

Emmett pondered this for a moment before we heard a knock at the door; Carlisle stuck his head in, "What are you all doing in here? Secret meeting?"

"We were going to play a game," Rosie said.

"Not now Rosie," Carlisle said. "It's almost time for bed."

"Oh please, Daddy? Just one game?"

"OK," he relented. "But then straight to bed."

**You see these horns? Yes! I am evil! And I'm leaving you all right here! Muah-hahaha!**


	11. Chapter 11

Come on, you all knew I'm Team Edward all the way, right

**Come on, you all knew I'm Team Edward all the way, right? Why else would I wait until chapter 9 to introduce Jacob?**

**Anywho, I'm trying to get at least two chapters out before I go on vacation on the 12****th****—I won't be back until the 17****th****, sorry :-(**

EPOV

I woke up with the bittersweet memory of what had happened yesterday: I got the chance to make love to Bella again; but there was also the little matter of that Jacob bloke. I had a bad feeling about him, he was going to try and cause trouble. He just seemed like the type who wasn't too keen on being rejected.

I shuffled my way to the kitchen to find Jasper and Alice making breakfast. Alice had pretty much moved in at this point as well; and I must admit, for being a hyper-active little sprite, she was nice to have around. She certainly was a better cook than Jasper.

"Good morning, Edward," the pixie chirped; of course, I could do without the high pitched voice to start my day.

"Morning," I said. "What's for breakfast?"

"Eggs, toast, the usual," Jasper said.

"And Alice did most of the cooking?" I inquired.

Jasper scowled at me, "Yes."

"Right then, let's have it."

We ate in silence until my phone started playing "Roads" by Portishead—Bella's ring tone.

"Hello," I said, practically yelling into the phone in my excitement.

"Hi," she whispered. "How are you?"

"Better having heard your voice today; when are you going to be able to come back to Dublin?"

"I'm not sure, Carlisle is suddenly very vague about his plans these days," she said. "I'm trying to get him to let me take the kids up in the next few days; they know everything, and they want to help us."

"Really?" I said, genuinely shocked—especially considering how much I thought Emmett hated me.

"Yeah, I thought if Carlisle could see how much they are starting to respect you, that might help him see the light."

"Couldn't hurt," I said.

"I'll call you as soon as I know when I can get away," she said. "I love you."

"I love you too, angel," I said as she hung up.

The next few days were going to be long, I could feel it.

BPOV Three days later

The house was starting to feel confining to me; I had to find a way out.

I was in my room, trying to think of a way I could bring up the subject of heading to Dublin without Carlisle getting suspicious, when I heard a knock at my door.

"Bella? Can I come in?" It was Carlisle.

"Yes."

He walked into the room and shut the door behind him.

"I was thinking of taking the kids to see their grandmother today; my mum lives in Cork, about 3 hours away. So, I thought I'd give you the day off today."

I suppressed my excitement very well, "Oh, are you sure you don't want me to go?"

"Oh no, you'd be bored," he said. "It would just be the kids spending time with their Gran. You should call up Jacob; see if he wants to do anything today."

I almost cringed at the name, but still managed a "that sounds like fun."

"Right, well we'll be off in a half-an-hour."

I said goodbye to the family as the piled into the car and then nearly knocked the butler over in my haste to get up stairs for a shower. As I waited for the water to warm up, I called Edward.

"Love? Is that you?"

"Yes," I said, so happy I was on the verge of tears. "Carlisle is taking the kids to Cork today; they'll be gone all day."

"When can you get to Dublin?" He asked excitedly.

"As soon as I take a shower."

"Make it a quick one, angel; I need you."

"I'll be as fast as I can, I love you."

"I love you too."

I hung up the phone and turned to check the water—it was almost to my liking. I remembered I had left a new bottle of shower gel in my room. I opened the door and ran into a very stern looking Carlisle.

"Oh! You scared me!" I said.

"I forgot to give you some money for the train...who were you talking to?"

"Jacob," I lied. "We're going to meet as soon as I take a shower and get ready."

"Well, you two must be moving along quite nicely, what with you saying 'I love you' and all." He was beyond suspicious at this point; he knew I was lying.

"I really like him..." it came out as more of a question than a statement; I couldn't bring myself to lie to him anymore.

"Bella, are you going to see Edward?"

I felt a tear roll down my cheek, "Yes."

"You've still been seeing him, even after I banished him from this house?"

"Yes."

He ran his hand down his face and let it come to rest on his chin; he beheld me with an expression that looked like a mixture of disgust and wonder. I wanted to vomit right then and there.

"I really don't know what to say, Bella; though I never officially forbade you from seeing him—you're not my daughter, after all—I thought you'd have enough respect for me to stop seeing him. I feel very betrayed; how can I trust you around my children now?"

"I...I'm sorry, Mr. Cullen; I didn't mean to hurt you or disrespect you. But, I love Edward; I know you can't understand that, because you don't think much of him. But he is so much more than you think. I know I can't change your mind—and you can fire me if you like—but it won't change the fact that I love him."

We both stood their, locked in silence. I held my breath until he spoke again.

"I'm not going to fire you, Bella," he said. "You are very good with the children, and I don't think I could find a replacement before the end of the summer. But, I'm warning you: please stay away from Edward; at least while you are caring for my children."

I wanted to protest, to scream that he couldn't tell me what to do or who I could and could not see. But, the more rational part of my brain reminded me that I still had a job; and that kept me from shrieking myself stupid.

"Bella, promise me you'll stay away from Edward."

I was about to agree when I heard a little voice from the direction of the stairs.

"No Daddy! Don't make her promise," Rosie cried as she walked up to her father with pleading eyes.

"Rosalie, go back to the car!" He scolded.

"NO! You can't make Bella stop seeing Edward! You can't, she loves him, she told me so—and so did he!"

Carlisle gave me his deadliest glare yet, "You've been discussing such things with my children? Making them accomplices in your lies?"

"She knew she couldn't tell you anything!" Emmett had found his way back as well. "You never listen to anyone! And you never want anyone to have something that you can't have!"

"Both of you will please go back to the car!" Carlisle cried, on the verge of screaming.

"NO!" Emmett screamed. "Why won't you listen to me? Why won't you listen to anyone? You don't know everything!"

"Emmett! Do not use that tone with me! Take your sister back to the car at once!"

Emmett's face suddenly softened; he slowly approached his father and took his hand, "I miss Mum too, Dad."

Carlisle looked down at where their hands were joined and back into Emmett's eyes before he fell to his knees. Rosie ran up and wrapped her arms around him, "Daddy, don't cry! We all miss Mummy!"

Carlisle wrapped his arms around both of his children and let his tears spill freely. I think Emmett finally hit that nerve that his father so desperately needed to be found. Carlisle looked up at me, "I'm sorry, Bella!"

"It's OK," I said as I sat on the floor with them. "You all ready needed this, didn't you."

Emmett and Carlisle nodded as their tears began to subside. The driver appeared suddenly.

"Sir, will we still be going to Cork today?"

"Yes, yes," Carlisle said standing up. "We'll be down shortly."

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Yes, I think my children and I need some time to talk; a 3 hour car ride ought to do the trick."

"Do you want me to come along?"

Carlisle shook his head gently, "Won't be necessary."

He started to lead the children downstairs before he turned to me, "Besides, don't you have someone to see today?"

I couldn't contain my smile as I waved goodbye to the family as the headed down the stairs and out the door.

When I got back to the bathroom, the shower had already run out of hot water; but, I happily showered in the cold.

I was out the door and to the train station in record time; I was practically bouncing in my seat the whole way to Dublin. Now I know what it's like to be Alice!

I saw him standing on the platform when I arrived, looking worried. I guess that whole ordeal with Carlisle took longer than I thought. I rushed out and jumped into his arms as soon as the train doors opened.

"Love! Where were you? What took so long?"

"You'll never believe it," I said. "Carlisle had a breakthrough."

"What do you mean?"

"Let's just say he knows that I'm here with you, and I am still under his employ."

"You're kidding! He's OK with us?"

"YES!! The kids really came through, especially Emmett; he finally got Carlisle to work through some of his pain. I think those two are going to have a nice, long talk and really become close again."

"That's amazing! And, all of this happened just this morning?"

"I was pretty flabbergasted myself," I said. "Never underestimate the power of a good, intense crying session."

Edward chuckled and led me back to entrance to the station. "Have you eaten yet?"

"No, I'm starved! Let's get some food!"

EPOV

I still couldn't quite believe I could now have my Bella all to myself, and I didn't have to hide it from anybody.

We sat at the pub eating a plate of chips and reveling in our newfound freedom.

"So, I guess I can have you any time I want now, huh?" I teased.

"No, I still have a job to do; we just don't have to have our little secret trysts in bathrooms anymore."

"Awww, I'm gonna miss those!"

"Not as much as I'm gonna miss that disguise! You looked like a homeless man or Johnny Depp on his day off."

"I'll take the Johnny Depp jab as a compliment, thank you very much!" I said.

She laughed, "We might even be able to talk Carlisle into letting you come back to the house."

"I don't think I want to," I admitted.

"Why not?" She asked as she was raising her drink to her lips—but was stopped mid-air.

"If I'm around you all the time now, it's going to be too much of a temptation. We still won't be able to show affection, not with the kids around, so I might as well just stay here."

"But," she protested, I could tell this was really upsetting her. "I want you near me."

"And I want you near me, as well; but, we have to be smart about this."

"You...you'll still come and visit, right?"

"Of course I will," I said resting my forehead against her affectionately.

Once we were back at Jasper's flat, we found him and Alice perched on the sofa watching telly.

"BELLA!" Alice cried as soon as Bella was through the door. The two embraced as Jasper got up and started putting his shoes on.

"What's up mate? Going somewhere?" I asked.

"Alice and I are gonna go to the pub for a bit."

"We are?" Alice asked.

"Yes, dear; I bet Edward and Bella want to be alone."

"Oh Jasper," Bella said. "You don't have to leave; we don't want to put you out of your own flat!"

"Maybe you don't, but I'm sure Eddie-boy here does," Jasper teased, winking at me.

"Best not to argue, Love," I whispered into Bella's ear before she could protest further.

As soon as the door was closed behind Alice and Jasper, I scooped Bella up bridal style and set her on my makeshift bed in Jasper's living room.

It still wasn't the romantic scenario I was longing to give her, but we'd have to make do; I was too uneasy about making love in Jasper's bed, even if we are best mates.

I dug into the pile of stuff near my bed until I found what I was looking for; I pulled on condom out of the box and turned back around to give Bella an evil grin. I was foiled, however, when she ignored said grin and pulled me in for another kiss.

She'll be the death of me.

BPOV

We'd only been apart for a few days, but I was so ready to make love to him I really wanted to skip all foreplay. I know most girls would balk at that idea; they crave a man who will make them most out of the kissing and caressing before the actual sex.

Right now, I just had a very carnal need; I wanted Edward to fuck me.

"Love, slow down, we have all night," he pleaded.

"No," I protested. "Now! I want you right now."

I started pull his clothes off in my haste to have him inside of me. Once he realized there would be no arguing with me on the matter, he shrugged out of his shirt and pants before relieving me of my clothing. I took the condom and rip the package open before pushing him back against the bed. I rolled it onto his erection and blocked him when he tried to reach back up to be on top of me.

"No," I said. "I'm on top."

I pushed him down again and straddled him; I wasn't quite sure where all of this sudden aggressive behavior was coming from, but I liked it.

I took a hold of his erection and positioned it at my entrance before sliding myself down so our hips met. He was even deeper inside of me in this position.

"Oh fuck, Bella!" His voice came out in a strangled groan; and it turned me on that I could get that reaction out of him.

I kept my posture straight as I started rolling my hips against his; he moved his pelvis in time with my thrusts. I started to move faster as he reached up to massage my breasts, causing me to lean forward slightly so he could have better access.

"Angel, you're driving me crazy! I want to hear you scream my name right now!"

That was all I needed to hear; a few seconds later I was overcome with the waves of my climax. "EDWARD!! OH YES!!"

"BELLA!! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!"

My whole body gave out after that; I collapsed onto his chest, spent.

I pulled him out of me and rolled onto the bed beside him, I never wanted this night to end.

**Yes, our Bella can be a dirty girl when she wants to be…**

**So, will Carlisle and Edward reconcile? And what will happen when the summer is over?**


	12. Chapter 12

So, I'm going to be moving the story along a little bit; not too much, just enough to move the summer ahead

**So, I'm going to be moving the story along a little bit; not too much, just enough to move the summer ahead. I want to take the plot back to England and see where it takes Bella and Edward -- I'm thinking of introducing Bella's parents into the story, as well.**

**EPOV**

Over the past week, I haven't really tried to get back on Carlisle's good side; or at least, on the side where he doesn't completely hate me. But today, I'm going to try.

I got on the 8 a.m. train to Bray and showed up at the Cullen's house ready to show my uncle that I'm not the loser he thinks I am.

Luckily, Bella answered the door; she gave me an appreciative smile.

"I'm glad you finally found your way back," she said.

"Might as well get this over with," I replied. "Figured today would be a good day to start my new life, right?"

She took my hand and led me into where the family was sitting down for breakfast.

"Look whose come to join us," Bella said.

"EDWARD!" Rosie ran up and hugged me around the legs. I'd really never been so happy to see her.

"Hello, Rosie," I said, pulling her off my legs and into a proper hug. "How are you, sweetheart?"

"Good! Are you going to come back and live with us again?"

"No darling, I'm staying in Dublin with a friend," I said. "But, I will come to visit every time I get the chance."

"So, who are you staying with Edward?" Carlisle asked, glancing over his morning paper.

"An old school mate; you wouldn't know him. He grew up in Dublin."

"Hmmm, why not just go back to England?" He asked softly. "You could exchange your plane tickets for an earlier date; you don't have to wait for the beginning of July."

"I'd like to enjoy the rest of my holiday," I replied. "Plus I'd still like to be close to my cousins...and Bella."

Carlisle sighed and returned his attention to the paper. Then, it hit me, "Carlisle, can I take Bella and the kids to Kildare today?"

"Why would I let you do that?"

"I figured you could have a quiet day around the house and the kids could go out and have fun."

"What kind of fun?"

"I was thinking of taking them to this place called Abbeyfield; my friend told me about it. The kids can ride horses..."

"OH PLEASE DADDY!! I WANT TO RIDE A HORSE!!" Thank god for Rosie.

"Rose, you've never ridden a horse before," he father said. "You might get hurt."

"Actually," I said, pulling out a brochure I had found at a tourist center. "They have horses for every different skill level, and experienced trainers so Rosie and Emmett will be in good hands."

"Please Dad," Emmett said. "It'll be so much fun!"

"Yes, please Daddy!" Rosie chimed in.

Carlisle looked as if he still might refuse, but then he looked to Bella who smiled and nodded at him. He seemed to soften at Bella's expression, "Alright, you may go. I wanted to make a few calls for work today, anyway."

"YAY!" Rosie cried, throwing her arms around Carlisle's neck. "Thank you, Daddy!"

The kids and Bella ran up the stairs to get ready, while I was stuck in awkward silence with Carlisle.

"Edward," he said finally, resting his paper on the table next to his coffee. "Don't make me regret trusting you again."

"I won't."

Carlisle let us take the car to Kildare, though it was only a 50-minute train ride.

Rosie bounced excitedly in her seat next to Bella, "Oh, I hope I get one of those pretty white ponies! The kind that looks like a unicorn!"

"I'll bet they have one just like that," Bella said.

Looked across the car to see Emmett looking at me with a strange expression.

"What's wrong, Emmett?"

"I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to say all those things to you that day; I really meant to say them to dad. I...I actually wouldn't mind being like you."

"It's OK, Em; I knew you were just upset...and, thanks!"

We both smiled at each other; I turned to Bella to see a little tear welling up in her eye.

"Oh, don't start, Love," I teased, pulling her in for a kiss on the cheek.

BPOV

I almost lost it with Emmett's confession; these guys were really learning to open up and communicate with each other.

Though, part of me still felt like a fraud; how could I expect this family to become so wonderfully functional when I still wasn't on speaking terms with my parents? Well, maybe this experience could teach me a thing or two.

We watched the kids ride around with the instructor around the arena; Rosie got the pretty white horse that she wanted, and she took to the riding with a surprising ease. I wouldn't be surprised if Carlisle found himself having to pay for riding lessons in his future.

Emmett was a little more awkward on the horse, but I'm sure that's because he's the type of young man more accustom to being on the football pitch. He seemed to have fun, anyway.

Edward had excused himself and returned a few minutes later with a coke for each of us, we sipped our drinks and watched the kids; occasionally, he'd brush my hair back off of my shoulder and kiss me at the base of my neck – when he was sure no one was looking. I can't remember the last time I felt this peaceful.

The kids made their way back over to where we stood against the fence.

"Bella! Edward! Aren't you going to try? It's so much fun!" Rosie said exuberantly.

"I think I'm OK with just watching," I said.

"You really don't want to try?" Edward asked.

"I'm not too comfortable sitting on top of 1,200 pounds of unpredictable animal."

"Oh, I'm sure these horses are nice, Bella," Edward teased. "They won't throw you."

"Well now I definitely can't ride because you just jinxed it," I replied.

"Don't be silly! Come on," Edward said, turning to the trainer. "Is it possible for two people to ride together? You know, in case someone is scared?"

"It's a bit unorthodox, but sure you could do that," the trainer said, looking from Edward to me and back again.

"That settles it, you're going with me," he said, grabbing my hand and dragging me to the stables.

"Um, I didn't exactly dress for riding," I said.

"They have clothes, Bells," Edward countered. "Besides, you just need some trousers and you'll be fine."

We got to the stables and a woman there loaned me a pair of riding breeches and boots that were a size too big for me. I pulled the pants on under my dress and pulled the boots up over them. "Edward, I look ridiculous."

"You look adorable," he said. "Now, come on, they have a horse waiting for us."

Sure enough, there was a large, white horse standing next to the fence. I walked over and hesitantly patted its nose; it pulled back at first, but eventually let me continue my petting. It was actually a very sweet horse.

"Alright," the trainer began, "her name is Echna, and she's a 9-year-old mare – very sweet. We'll just have you step up on the blocks there to mount and we'll be on our way."

I climbed the blocks and settled myself on the back before Edward sat himself right behind me.

"Don't worry Love," he whispered in my ear. "I won't let you fall."

His arms were wrapped firmly around my waist as we took off; and it was so exhilarating! I'd never felt anything like it, though I debated as to whether it would have been as amazing had Edward not been sitting behind me.

We rode for almost an hour until we decided we should head back home before it started to get dark. As I made my way back to the stable to change out of the pants and boots, I felt an arm creep up around my waist and pull me back into a nearby, empty stable.

"Edward," I gasped. "Not here."

He held me close as our foreheads touched, I could feel the frustration practically emanating off of him.

"I know, but I still can't help myself," he growled as he placed a few light kisses on my collarbone. "This summer just can't go by fast enough."

We were home before I knew it, probably because I was distracted by the heat radiating off of Edward – even from across the car.

As we filed into the house, Carlisle came out of his study to greet us.

"Well, I see we all had a wonderful time," he said.

"The best ever, Daddy!" Rosie said. "Edward is the best cousin in the world."

Edward's cheeks turned bright red at that.

"Well," Carlisle said. "I suppose he is, isn't he?"

Carlisle gave a stiff smile to Edward, who nodded in return; I think if things continue on this path, they might even work their way up to a hug one day.

**EPOV**

**JULY**

The weeks had dragged on and on repetitively! The only thing that kept me going was the knowing that only a few weeks after we were back in England, there would be no more Carlisle and kids coming between me and Bella.

Although, I had to admit that I was starting to like having them around. Rosie had turned into a sweet young lady – though, I'm sure it was a great deal of Bella's influence; and Emmett was a complete 180 from what he had been at the beginning of the holiday. He didn't even spend his time on the plane trip listening to his blasted iPod.

We touched down at Heathrow and I'd never been so glad to see Old Blighty. I almost wanted to kiss the tarmac when we got off the plane.

I did get one somewhat pleasant surprise when we got through baggage claim: my mum was there.

"Did you have fun," she said, hugging me as I dropped my bags at her feet.

"You have no idea."

I turned to smile at Bella, who gave us a curious look; Mum followed my gaze.

"Who's that?"

I motioned for Bella, who excused herself from Carlisle for a moment.

"Mum, this is my girlfriend, Bella; Bella, this is my mum."

"Hello," Bella said, shaking Mum's hand.

"Hello, Bella! Well now, here I thought I was surprising my son, and it turned out that he had the best surprise of all!"

Carlisle noticed us and brought the kids over.

"Jessica, how are you?" he asked as he kissed Mum on the cheek.

"I'm fine, little brother! How are my niece and nephew?"

"We're wonderful," Rosie said.

"Hi, Aunt Jessica," Emmett said, hugging Mum tightly.

"Oh Emmett! You're a right strong lad now, aren't you?"

"I guess so," Emmett replied shyly.

"Well then," Carlisle said, "How about dinner?"

We had dinner at a restaurant near the airport. Afterwards, I grimaced at the thought of having to say goodbye to my Bella. I took her aside briefly to get one last kiss until I could see her again.

"You're acting like you're not going to see me for a long time," she said.

"Well, we don't know when we're going to see each other, do we?"

"You can see me anytime you want to."

"You know what I mean; I can come by the house, but we can't have any alone time, can we?"

"Why not? I don't live in the house."

"What, I thought Carlisle said you were a live-in au pair."

"I live in the guest house."

I felt a joy run through every part of my body.

"So, I guess I'll be by later then."

**BPOV**

I wanted to give Carlisle a big hug and kiss for allowing me the freedom of having my own guest house. I told Edward to meet me at 11 p.m., that way we both knew that the kids would be asleep and Carlisle would probably be slump over a book in his study.

It was already 10:55, and I was running around the place, tidying up things that didn't need to be tidied and acting like an all-around spaz. What was up with me? I was acting like Edward and I had never had sex before.

I heard a faint tapping at the door and threw it open. He stood there with a bottle of wine in one hand and two glasses in the other. He was wearing a pair of black pants and a black silk shirt that was already open – he was my own, personal romance novel lover come to life.

Even as I stood in a nighty that left little to the imagination, I still felt inadequate next to him. He sauntered in and planted a nice, warm kiss on my lips; I pulled away with a smile and went over to the little stereo I owned. I believe the occasion called for Portishead.

As I turned the music on, he poured some wine and handed a glass to me; we drank it slowly, looking into each other's eyes as we did so.

I set my glass down once I was done, and the wine had already hit me – I bit my lip and looked up at him with an expression I hoped conveyed that I wanted him badly. I think he got the message, as he pulled me in for a rough kiss before lifting me into his arms and making his way to my bed.

I had already peeled the shirt off of him before he made it to the room, and was kissing my way down his neck and shoulders. He pressed me tighter against his chest as he leaned forward to throw the blankets off of the bed. After he accomplished this, he set me down and covered my body with his.

His hands traveled up my thighs and pulled my nighty up with them; but, he didn't pull it all the way off of me. When I was about to protest, he put his index finger to my lips.

"Patience, Love. We're doing this my way tonight."

I decided to lay back and enjoy whatever it was he wanted to do to me. I knew, no matter what, it would be amazing. Of course, that ended up being the understatement of the century.

He began with light nibbling on my stomach and hips as his hands gently, lovingly massaged my thighs. When I started to moan and writhe, he looked up at me and smiled before taking two fingers and placing them in his mouth; once they were wet, he rubbed them up and down my already soaking entrance.

"Angel? Ready for me already?"

"Always."

"That's my girl."

His fingers found their way inside and started at a nice, steady rhythm. His tongue soon discovered my aching clit, ready to be stimulated. As soon as his nice, warm tongue touched me, I started making these strange, high pitched noises. They only encouraged him to put more effort into his attentions – his third finger joined the first two, as his tongue was now ravishing me with abandon.

I came so hard that I started squeezing Edward's head between my knees without realizing. It took me a while to recover from that.

Edward just lay beside me, stroking my hair and kissing me gently until I could breathe normally again.

However, once I was able to move, I sprang into action. He was going to know that same sweet torture he inflicted on me.

I pushed him back on the bed and took a hold of his large, throbbing erection. I began with nice, slow strokes that made Edward's pelvis start to buck; oh, this is going to be fun!

I continued the stroking while I licked around the rim of the head. There were already little beads of liquid coming out of the tip; I licked them up and then took as much of him as I could into my mouth. He was far too big to get much more than half way down the shaft, but I tried to work my way past my gag reflex as best I could.

I combined the hand strokes with the sucking in a steadily faster pace; I even let my free hand venture down to his balls, cupping then and stroking them gently.

"Bella…how did you learn that, angel?" He moaned as he placed a hand on the back of my head.

"I've just been dreaming of doing this to you," I said quickly before I returned to my work.

His hip bucking reached a fever pitch just seconds before he sent a stream of warm, sticky liquid down my throat. It surprised me so much, I almost choked on it; I guess it didn't happen like I thought it would, but it was wonderful nonetheless.

I was about to straddle him and get a few good rides out of him for the night when he stopped me.

"No; remember? My way."

He flipped us over and I spread my legs open so he could settle himself in, but he pulled back.

"Turn over."

"What?"

"Get on your hands and knees," he said.

I couldn't believe he wanted to do it this way, but it turned me on to no end.

I turned over and got on my knees in front of him, he nudged himself in between my legs and grabbed my left hip as his right hand started running the tip of his penis up and down my slit.

"Edward," I whined. "Stop teasing."

He chuckled before he entered me. In this position, it almost felt like a little too much – considering the size of him – but it was spectacular all the same. I backed into him in time with his thrusts and soon came again as he collapsed on top of me.

"Mmmmm," he moaned against the back of my neck. "Have I mentioned how glad I am Carlisle hired you."

I laughed as we rolled to the side and he pulled me impossibly close to him.

"So, when do you have to be back to school?"

"Beginning of August," I said, feeling myself falling asleep.

"So, I've got 4 weeks to find us a place to live."

…**.Ummm…no one's armed, right? **

**But, yeah, I'm leaving it there – please don't kill me :-S **

**I'll be back writing before you know it…**


	13. Chapter 13

I'm back

**I'm back!! And you all truly rock! Thanks for the continued support during my brief hiatus!**

EPOV

Bella will be back in school in two weeks, and I'm now desperately scrambling to find us a place to live. I refuse to let her help me because she has enough to worry about at the moment, and that only increases the pressure I feel.

Bella had already moved out of her old flat before settling in with Carlisle, and she told me that she wasn't about to move back to where she was before; so, living in Edmonton was out.

I was sitting at the table in Bella's kitchen going through the classifieds in the Times; I was circling potential flats that seemed suitable enough for Bella and me to live in. I knew Bella would be happy with just about any place, but I wasn't about to make the woman I love live in some rat infested shithole.

There's only one glitch in the whole flat finding process: I don't have a job. Bella makes good money working for Carlisle and insists that she will be the one to make a deposit on any flat I find, but my pride refuses to stand for that; besides, she needs that money for tuition. I had to find something quick so I could pay a security deposit and the first month's rent.

Once I was finished circling enough ads for places to live, I flipped the paper to the jobs section. The pickings were rather trim there – a lot of management positions, and many of the jobs dealt with working online. Without much education or experience – save for experience in nicking cars and picking locks – I was going to have to take whatever I could get.

One particular job posting caught my eye and made me laugh out loud: Intelligence Officer for MI5. I wonder if they accept ex-cons into MI5.

I circled a few possibilities, but I was fairly certain I wouldn't get any of them. My charm has always enabled me to get many places in my life, but it can't compensate for lack of experience and education. I'd probably have to see if HMV is hiring.

Though, it's not like I'm in any hurry to get out of the guest house; I've been living here since we got back from Ireland and it's given me the opportunity to spend every night with Bella. We've tried some things I'd never thought I'd try while making love; and, not only does Bella let me experiment; she's found a few tricks of her own.

But, it's more than just sex – it's staying up until 3 in the morning talking, it's holding her close while she sleeps, it's imagining what this will be like when we're no longer just dating – when we're married and starting a family. That last thought should scare me more, but it doesn't. I actually do want to marry Bella; but I want us both to be a little more secure in our lives than we are right now. She needs to finish school, and I need to get a job that will last me more than a month or so.

For now, I stay hidden in the guest house waiting for Bella to come back each night after she puts the children to bed.

I've learn how to cook, that's been a surprising new adventure for me. I have dinner ready for Bella every night; at first, my creations were only passably edible, but I've gotten better.

Once I had finished my searching for flats and jobs for the day, I got to making some pasta and a salad. Bella walked in just as I was draining the water from the pasta.

"Hello my love; how was work?" I asked, pouring cold water over the pasta to cool it.

"Fine, same old same," she said wrapping her arms around my neck and placing a kiss on my lips. I started to deepen the kiss when she pulled away with a thoughtful – almost forlorn – look on her face.

"What's wrong?"

"Well," she began, "while Rosie was at her dance class, I went to a coffee shop and had nothing to do, so I decided to make a call I haven't made in a while."

"To whom?"

"My mom."

"Wow, how long has it been since you made contact with her?"

"I haven't talked to either one of my parents since I moved out," she said. "It was kind of funny, though; she wasn't upset, at least she didn't seem too upset. But…"

"But what?"

"She said she wants to come out and visit."

"Are you not happy about that?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure how to feel about that. I want to see her, but I don't – and I definitely don't want her bringing my father out here. I know he must be even more upset than she is."

She got quiet all of a sudden, but I didn't want to let it drop; now that we were closer, I wanted her to finally open up about her parents. I forgot about the dinner for a moment while I sat beside her on the countertop where she had perched herself previously.

"Bella, what happened with you and your parents? You couldn't have always had this awful relationship with them. When did you start feeling like you wanted to escape?"

She thought about my questions for a moment, "I started feeling this way around 14 or 15; that was when they were fighting every day. They were always on the verge of divorce, but wanted to stay together for me – because I was still in high school. But, staying together was killing them – dad started drinking and mom starting seeing this guy named Phil. It was bad."

"Did your dad ever hit you?"

"No, he wasn't a mean drunk; just a depressed one. He drank and kept to himself. But, even in light of all of this, they wouldn't break up; in fact, they still haven't."

"You're kidding me," I said. "Your parents are still together?"

"Yup, 22 years and counting," she said. "Dad doesn't drink anymore, but moms still with Phil; it's not even really a secret anymore, she almost flaunts him."

"Why?"

"It's a pride thing with both of my parents; my mom goes out on the town with her boy-toy – he's younger than she is – just to prove she can. And dad won't give her a divorce because, a) he doesn't want to be the guy whose wife left him for a younger man and, b) he will be saddled with legal fees and alimony payments that he can't deal with."

"Will he not have to pay alimony once your mum marries that Phil guy?" I asked.

"She won't," Bella said. "Not if she's getting money from my dad. You see, I love my mom, but she's a manipulative bitch. And, to make matters worse, she's a very intelligent manipulative bitch. It's just a vicious circle – that's why I got out."

I wrapped my arms around her as she sat with her legs pulled up to her chest.

"I don't blame you," I said. "I would have done the same thing. So, is your mum really coming for a visit?"

She nodded.

"When?"

"The week before I have to be back at school," she said. "She's only staying a week, though; thank god."

"It won't be that bad, I promise," I said, kissing her temple. "Now, time to eat."

BPOV

It felt so good to finally open up to Edward; he's the man I'd like to spend the rest of my life with, and I don't want to keep things from him.

I mean, he was changing his life for me – he was converting from a delinquent to a respectable, honest and loving human being; and he wasn't a bad cook, either.

After we ate our pasta, I helped Edward clear the table, even though he protested at every turn. I wasn't about to make him into my personal slave – all though, the idea would make an interesting bit of role play in the bedroom.

However, neither of us wanted to wait for the bedroom tonight; especially not me. I was ready to vent all of the anger and frustration I felt toward my parents through one nice, rough tryst on a kitchen table. And Edward was more than happy to comply.

One the dishes were off the table, I grabbed the waistband on Edward's pants and pull him back against the table's edge. He gasped slightly as I took over his mouth while unbuttoning his shirt. He pulled my shirt over my head and quickly disposed of my bra soon after; he turned us so I was now sitting on the table with my legs wrapped around his waist.

He pulled back briefly to pull my pants and panties off before continuing to bite and suck at my lips and neck. I could already feel my lips were swelling to well past their normal size; there's something about that feeling that really makes me hot. He was suck at my neck, trying his best to leave a mark – ensuring that I would have to wear a high-necked shirt tomorrow – as I tugged at the button on his pants. I managed to open the button and fly before shoving the offending garment down to his knees. He was already hard and ready.

He pulled me close and entered me swiftly; it hurt a little, but also felt wonderful at the same time. We quickly worked our way up to a rather fast pace as I leaned back and let him pound into me again and again. He grabbed my hips and thrust until he felt the muscles of my interior walls start to clench all around him. I came so hard that it lifted me off of the table as I screamed.

"EDWARD!! I love you!!" I cried as I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him passionately.

He lifted me off the table and carried me to the bed, I was already weeping like a baby when he placed he down gently, never leaving my side.

"Angel, I love you more than anything in this world," he said. "You know I'm going to marry you someday, right?"

I nodded; he had never mentioned marriage before, but somehow it just felt inevitable. I couldn't imagine being close to any other man than I am with Edward. I closed my eyes and feel asleep to the sound of this heart beat.

EPOV

I was beyond euphoric today. Not only did Bella and I finally break in that kitchen table like I'd been wanting to do, but she let me in on a part of her life that she kept close off to everyone.

We're not just lovers, we're soul mates.

I was walking around all of London looking for a job; I had set up a few appointments yesterday with some companies and – as I suspected – I didn't meet their requirements for employment. But, I was still in high spirits.

I decided to give some little retail places a try; I started with the HMV in Islington. It's close to where Bella's school is, so that's a plus. I went up to the counter to ask for an application.

"Hello, can I have an application please?" I asked a tall girl with blond hair with her back to me. She turned with an annoyed expression until she saw me standing there – she then proceeded to give me a lustful glance.

"Of course," she breathed flirtatiously. "Here you go."

"Thanks." I took the application and went to a table near the counter to fill it out. Everything was going well until I came to the section about criminal records. I hesitated – if I put that I had been in trouble before, they may just throw out the application right then. But, if I lie and they find out, I'll be sacked.

I decided to be honest; maybe they're forgiving to someone trying to make a fresh start of things.

I returned the application to the girl and quickly made an exit before she tried to make more flirtatious chit-chat. I got back on the tube and headed back to Kensington, it was 6, so I'd have two hours to get some groceries and make Bella dinner.

Suddenly, I saw a face I recognized and immediately became sick: James, my old mate.

Back in my delinquent days, he was my enabler. He was the idea man, and I was his little lackey doing everything he said.

I tried to duck my head and pretend I hadn't seen him; unfortunately, he had already seen me.

"Edward! You bastard! How have you been, mate?"

"Fine," I said simply.

"What the hell happened to you? I heard you got out of the pokey a few months ago, but you don't come to see good ol' James? That's not on, mate!"

"I had to get out of England for a while," I said, looking out the window to avoid eye contact.

"Where'd you go?"

"Ireland; with my uncle."

"Carlisle?" He asked laughing. "Why'd you do that, mate? Isn't he that wanker who hates you?"

"We've set things straight," I said.

"So, you still in the grifting business?"

"Nope," I said quickly. "Gone cold turkey, mate."

"Awww, that's a shame, mate; I've got some good gigs coming up. Couple of mates told me about this bank in Kensington where he knows a guard. It's an inside job, mate! We're gonna make out like bandits!"

"You are bandits," I said. "And I'm not interested."

He beheld me skeptically, and then he seemed to let it drop.

"OK, mate; whatever you say," he said slipping something into my pocket. "I've got a new mobile; call me if you change your mind."

James got off as the train came to a stop.

"Not bloody likely, _mate_."

**OK, I'm just trying to come up with new directions here. What do you think? And, I ****AM**** trying to find a way to get Alice and Jasper to England, don't you worry!**


	14. Chapter 14

BPOV Uh-oh! Renee comes for a visit! BPOV

I'm not about to let my mother's visit get me down. I keep reminding myself that it will only be a week, and then I can carry on pretending I don't have parents.

And I'm determined to focus on the positives – I'm in love, Edward and I will be moving in together soon and I'll be back at school in a week.

I took a deep breath as I watched people exit the plane; I noticed a lady walking toward me who looked to be in her late 30's, but still dressed like she was 15: my mother, Renee.

She rushed to me and gave me a hug and some of those 'graze-the-cheek-kiss-the-air' moves. Not like she'd actually want to kiss her own daughter or anything.

Upon closer inspection, she wasn't smiling. "Not happy to see me, mom?"

"Of course I am, sweetheart; what on earth would make you say that?" Her face remained frozen in a fix expression.

"Oh, I get it," I said, reaching up to touch her miraculously wrinkle-free face. "Botox, huh?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she huffed as she turned to claim her bags.

In typical Renee fashion, she brought more clothes than she could need in a month, let alone a week.

"Planning on extending your trip, mom?"

"Well," she began, "I'm thinking while I'm in Europe, might as well see other countries, right?"

I rolled my eyes and grabbed a trolley for her luggage.

As we walked to call a cab, I debated how I was going to introduce her to Edward – should I tell her in the car on the way to the house, or just let her meet him when she gets there, like it's no big deal?

I decided to go with option 2, because that's exactly what Renee would have done. Besides, Edward was out at a job interview and I didn't expect him back for an hour or so.

"This is lovely, dear," Renee said dismissively. "Very...cozy."

"Yes, it is."

I threw her bags into my room, I decided I'd stay on the couch while she was here – if I didn't, she'd just guilt-trip me into moving eventually.

"Bella Marie Swan! What is this?" Renee emerged from my bathroom with a pair of boxers dangling from her right index finger; she held her arm away from her as if she were handling toxic waste.

Oh well, I thought, better tell her now.

"Those are Edwards," I said matter-of-factly.

"Who is Edward?"

"My boyfriend."

"And he lives with you?"

"Sort of," I said. "He doesn't have a place right now, except with his mom, and he stays here sometimes." He actually stayed every night, but I wasn't about to tell Renee that.

"Let me guess, he's unemployed."

"Currently, yes; he has a job interview today."

"Bella," Renee said warily. "Don't let this loser come in and take advantage of you. Clearly, he's just looking for a nice, gullible girl who'll let him shack up for free. Don't be that girl who lets him do that."

"Renee, you have no idea what you're talking about," my tone became dark and serious. "Edward and I love each other, and he doesn't take advantage of me. In fact, he won't even let me pay for the apartment we're going to rent together."

"You're going to continue to live together? Oh Bella..."

"Stop! If you're just going to come here and criticize my life, you can leave right now! I'm almost 21 and I've been taking care of myself for almost three years now! I don't need any of your advice or concern."

"Fine," she snipped.

We both stood there in silence until I heard someone at the door; Edward waltzed in with a very chipper attitude.

"Hello," he stopped as he saw my mother there. "Oh! You must be Renee! Hi, I'm Edward; Bella's boyfriend."

He extended his hand to Renee, who merely sneered at it and turned toward my bathroom. "I'm going to go freshen up, Bella."

She shut the door behind her and Edward turned to me incredulously. "Wow! She hates me already? Did you tell her I was in prison?"

"Nope, didn't even make it that far," I said, shrugging as I turned to him. "That's just Renee."

"But, what did you tell her?"

"She just asked if you were staying, and I said yes; then she made the assumption that you don't have a job, and I said you will soon."

"She thinks I'm a free-loader, doesn't she?"

I hesitated, "...yes, but she's a bitch! Don't care about what she thinks."

"This IS going to be a long week," he retorted, wrapping his arms around me.

"So," I changed the subject. "How was the interview? It didn't go very long."

"Yeah, but I made an impression. I think the manager really liked me; we just talked about movies and music, it was pretty great actually."

"That's awesome! Did they ask you about your criminal record?"

"That's the best part," he said excitedly. "The manager, Ben, has a criminal record, too; he said they're really good about giving people the benefit of the doubt. And I told him about how I'm so desperate to turn my life around, and how I just need a place to start."

"Oh! I'm so proud of you." I pulled him in for a kiss as he lifted me and set me down on the sofa.

We started snogging pretty heavily until he stiffened and pulled away.

"What's wrong?"

"What are we going to do now that your mother is here?"

"Oh," I said. "Well, I'm sleeping on the couch..."

"Will she be upset if I sleep here with you?"

"Probably; but who cares?" I asked pulling him back toward me, but he stopped my progress.

"I care; I don't want your mom to hate me anymore than she already does."

"Don't be ridiculous," I said. "There's no way she could hate you more than she does right now; so just go with it."

"Bella! I'm being serious," he said. "She already thinks I'm a loser, I want to show her that I'm worthy of you."

"The only person you have to prove that to is me, and you've already done that."

"Still, I'm going to show her that I'm a responsible adult who loves her daughter very much."

"Well, good luck with that," I said looking to my watch. "Speaking of responsible adult stuff, I have to go pick up the kids. I'll be home around 8, you think you can handle being alone with my mother for that long?"

"I'll manage."

"OK," I said unconvinced.

I kissed him once more and headed out the door.

EPOV

I watched her retreating form adoringly; everything about her just makes me love her more and more every day.

I heard the sound from the shower cease and flipped on the telly to avoid any awkward silences with Renee. I sat there until I heard high heels tapping on the wood floor behind the couch.

"So, you're Bella's boyfriend, hmmm?" I turned to see that she stood a few feet behind me with her arms crossed sternly.

"Yes I am," I replied.

"And, what is it that you do, exactly?"

"I'm looking for work right now."

"What did you do before?"

Of course she had to ask that.

"I've never really had a proper job," I said.

"How could you have lived for – I'm guessing 20 or 21 years – and not been gainfully employed? Are your parents wealthy?"

"No, I've been in a spot of trouble here and there," I decided to just be honest with her.

"Define 'a spot of trouble.'"

"I've been in prison, I got sent in late last year for stealing a police car. And, I've been a bit of a delinquent for most of my life."

All of the color drained from Renee's face. "And Bella knows about all of this?"

"Yes, and she's also the reason I want to turn my life around. I love her, Renee; and you can disapprove of me all you want, but as long as she wants me around, I'll be here."

"We'll see about that." She turned on her heel and headed to Bella's bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

I sighed and looked to the clock: 4 p.m. It was going to be four very long hours until Bella got home. I decided to take a nap, so I set the alarm on my phone to 6 so I would have enough time to get some food and make Bella dinner.

I woke up as my phone went off to find Renee standing over me in a nighty.

"Hi," she said seductively.

"What are you doing?"

"Oh, you're a smart boy, Edward; figure it out."

"You think you can seduce me to prove I don't really love Bella, right?"

Renee actually had the grace to look sheepish, but she still stood just above me, trying to give me a full glimpse of her cleavage.

"Look," I sighed. "You've obviously seen The Graduate one time too many, and I need to get food for dinner. Bella will be home around 8, so I like to have it ready when she gets here."

I walked to the door, leaving a very defeated looking Renee to stand by the couch. I turned back before leaving, "Don't worry, I won't tell Bella."

As I walked to the shop, I couldn't wipe the smug look off of my face.

BPOV

I couldn't concentrate on the kids today; I was too preoccupied with how my mom must be interrogating poor Edward. I'm sure he's already let her in on his less than stellar past, but she'd just have to deal with it; everybody has skeletons in their closet, especially her!

Once I got the kids fed and put to bed, I was on my way back to the guest house. But, Carlisle stopped me at the back door.

"Oh, Bella, I forgot to ask, how is your mother? She's here for a few days, right?"

"Yeah," I said. "She's fine, probably a little jet-lagged, though."

"It's to be expected," he laughed. "Why don't you bring her by sometime tomorrow? The kids and I are dying to know where our lovely Bella came from."

I grimaced at the thought but forced a fake smile, "Sure, sounds like fun."

I could smell the food as I approached the house; Edward is getting really good at this whole cooking thing! Maybe Renee will see that he's not just a user.

Upon opening the door, I found Edward placing a serving dish on the table while Renee poured three glasses of wine. Wow, are they actually getting along?

"Mmmmm smells good," I said as I got a kiss from Edward.

"Thank you, angel. I decided we should go French tonight."

"What'd you make?" I asked as I bent over the dish to get a better smell.

"It's just some ratatouille, have you never had it?"

"No, what is it?"

"Its tomatoes and zucchini with peppers and onions," he said.

"That's all? It smells so good."

"You might also be smelling the onion soup I made for a starter," he said as he brought soup bowls over; they had a very delicious looking layer of cheese over the top of them.

"You spoil me," I said, wrapping my arms around his neck once his hands were free of soup bowls.

Renee cleared her throat behind me.

"Hello Renee, did you need something?" I asked, trying not to sound too rude about it – and failing.

"I'm find, dearest," she said. "Would you like a glass of wine?"

"Sure," I relented as she handed me a glass full of red liquid; I sniffed it, then tasted it and pulled it back immediately. "Wow! That is strong!"

"It's just a Pinot Noir," Renee said with a condescending chuckle.

"Well," Edward interrupted, "Let's eat!"

We ate in silence, probably because we were all so hungry. I could feel Renee staring at me and Edward the entire meal; but I just ignored her.

After dinner, I helped Edward clear the plates, leaving Renee to sit and drink her wine.

"Did you two have any interesting conversations while I was gone?" I asked.

"Not really," he said. "She asked me about my past and I was honest with her."

"How did she react?"

"She didn't blow up," he said. "But, she didn't sound happy about it either."

"She's probably saving her freak out for just the right moment," I said as we rejoined Renee at the table; she had refilled all of the wine glasses.

"You started the party without us, Renee," Edward teased.

She ignored him and smiled at me, "You know, we've never had the opportunity to sit and chat over a glass of wine, Bella. Why don't we now?"

"I'm kind of tired, Renee; and I have to work tomorrow..."

"Oh, just one little glass? You haven't seen me in almost three years!"

There's been a reason for that, I thought as I sat and waited for my mom to start the 'chat.' She looked up to Edward, "would you like to join us?"

"I don't want to impose," he said.

"Nonsense, sit and have some wine."

Edward gave me a suspicious look and sat next to me.

"Drink up, you two, come on," Renee said, raising her glass to her lips. I followed suit; I had to admit, I was starting to like this wine.

We got about half way through our glasses and I was starting to fell extremely happy – not to mention the fact that Edward had his hand on my knee and was discreetly massaging his way up my leg. The happy feeling went away, however, when Renee decided to become Renee again.

"So, Bella, Edward told me he's done hard time; did you know that?"

"Yes." I was trying to downplay everything to end this Renee rant as soon as possible.

"Well, what do you know about his family?"

"I've met his mom, she's very nice," I said.

"Oh, that's nice; has she been in prison, too?"

"No," Edward said, getting a little pissed off now. "My mum has never down anything wrong."

"Except raise a bad-seed son, you mean," Renee countered.

"Mom! Shut up!" I screamed; she looked at me startled. "Like I said before, if you came here to criticize and say mean things, then you can leave!"

"Maybe we should all call it a night," Edward said, trying to calm me.

"Good idea," Renee mumbled as she walked back to my room and slammed the door.

I threw myself onto the couch and started sobbing; Edward crouched down beside me and rubbed my back.

"Love, it's OK; don't let your mother get to you."

"I hate her!" I yelled into the pillow on the couch.

"Shhhhh," he soothed. "Just go to sleep. You'll feel better in the morning."

Edward continued to rub my back and kiss the back of my neck gently until I drifted off to sleep.

EPOV

Once Bella was up and out the door for work, I decided to get myself out of the house as soon as possible. I wasn't going to stay around Renee any longer than was absolutely necessary.

I showered and got out the door in less than 10 minutes – a new record for me – and headed out to look at some flats near Bella's school.

City University is near Kings Cross and Islington, but I wasn't sure I was going to find a place we could afford around there. Upon searching the area, I confirmed that Kings Cross was way out of our price range. Islington seemed a bit more affordable, but still not what I was looking for.

I asked a woman in a coffee shop if she knew of any nice, affordable places, and she gave me some good spots to try. Wapping had some nice flats to rent that were inexpensive; but, I wasn't sure if it was close enough to the school, plus we'd have to live in a place call "Wapping."

I traveled north to Hackney where I found the best places within a decent distance. A flat on Kent Street for £210 a week seemed reasonable – considering it was so close to the heart of London. I made an appointment to look at the flat and left feeling on top of the world.

My happiness increased when I got a phone call from Ben at HMV.

"Good news, mate! We've decided we'd love to have you come work for us."

"That's great! When can I start?"

"As soon as possible! Come in tomorrow around 9 a.m. and we'll get all your paperwork sorted."

"Thanks, Ben," I said hanging up; I couldn't wait to see the happiness on Bella's face when I told her my news.

**Yes, I know I'm making Renee an a-hole again! But it's sooooo fun to write!**

**I'll try to get Jasper and Alice into the next chapter or the one after that – thanks for all your ideas.**


	15. Chapter 15

BPOV

**Let's just jump back in, shall we…**

BPOV

My excitement was growing by the day; just this morning, I had received my class schedule and information from City. I can't wait to start my third and final year of University! **(A/N: British universities take place over three years, not four. Lucky Bastards!)**

However, there is still the matter of my mother to contend with. Renee had cooled off over the past couple of days, but history has taught me that this just means she's waiting to unleash a serious break down.

Luckily, the time I've spent with Edward – the first man who's ever truly loved me – has made me stronger; I feel like I can face anything now, even my mother's diabolical temper.

I did feel generous enough to bring Renee into the main house today; I introduced her to the kids, whom she only showed a passing interest in, then reluctantly took her to Carlisle's office for a meeting. And Renee was, of course, Renee – she flirted with Carlisle like the shameless cougar that she is; especially once she got a sense of how well off he is.

Even when I gently brought up the subject of Carlisle very recent widower status, Renee still didn't back off; that's my mother, one classy dame!

After an hour of shooting Carlisle countless apologetic looks, I finally had to go make lunch for the kids.

"Re...Mom, would you give me a hand in the kitchen?"

"Oh Bella, you know I'm no help in the kitchen," Renee chuckled with intense condescension.

"Well, maybe it's a good time to learn," I said. "And, I think Mr. Cullen needs to get back to work."

"Oh, I'm sorry Carlisle, have I kept you from your work?"

"I am a bit busy today," Carlisle said gently, helping me get Renee out of the office quicker. "But, perhaps we could talk again another time."

D'oh! He really shouldn't have made that offer! I saw Renee's face light up at the thought of spending more time with an unbelievably wealthy man. I pulled her out the door and down to the kitchen as swiftly as possible.

"Ow! Bella! You hurt my arm!"

"Renee, no!"

"No what?"

"No more visiting with Carlisle, understand?"

"Young lady, I'm getting a little tired of you taking that tone with me."

"Oh, give it a rest, lady! You haven't been a mother to me for quite some time!"

She opened her mouth to argue, but snapped it shut quickly – she really couldn't debate this issue with me; she didn't have a leg to stand on.

"Now, I mean it; leave him alone! He's still dealing with the death of his wife, and the last thing he needs is a gold digger coming in to try and play on his fragile emotional state."

She chuckled darkly, "You really think highly of your mother, don't you?"

"Only as highly as she deserves."

With that, I set to making lunch without another word.

EPOV Later that evening

I was practically floating today; I had just got a job and found a flat for Bella and I to share, I was ecstatic.

I went to the local shop to find something special to make for dinner; I wanted to make tonight one to remember, even if Renee still happened to be at the house. I wasn't going to spare any expense; after all, I was now a member of the working world.

I wandered down the aisles of Tesco, picking out a few items when I felt someone following me; but when I looked behind me, no one was there. I tried to brush it off, but I still felt a presence just a few feet behind me, so I started walking faster. I turned a corner sharply and waited to see if the person went on ahead, but nobody past. I peered around the corner and was met with a familiar face.

"Boo!" Yelled Jasper.

"You bloody wanker," I said as I regained my composure. "You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"Aww, is poor little Eddie a tad jumpy? Thought you'd be happy to see your best mate."

"What are you doing here anyway?"

"Well, me and the pixie decided it was just too lonely in Dublin, so we came to London for a visit."

"Alice is here?" I asked before being bombarded by the pint-sized terror herself.

"Of course," she chirped. "Think I'd let Jasper come all this way without me?"

"Wow," I smirked. "She's got you on a leash, hasn't she, Jas?"

"Don't know what your talking about," Jasper replied as we walked down the aisle with wine.

"Oooo, you making a romantic dinner for two?" Alice asked, twirling around gleefully.

"I am; I've got good news for Bella tonight, so we need to celebrate."

"What's the news," Jasper asked.

"I got a job I was hoping for," I said. "And, I found a flat near Bella's school that we can afford."

"That's great, man," Jasper said patting me on the back. "You're becoming all responsible now, it's almost intimidating."

"Don't worry," Alice said. "I'm not expecting you to mature any time soon. Besides, you'll be less fun in bed if you do."

"I'll just pretend I didn't hear that," I said, grabbing a bottle of wine and heading to the check out.

When we got back to the house, we walked in to find Renee gathering her belongings.

"Leaving so soon, Renee?" I tried not to sound too happy about the idea.

"My daughter has made it very clear that she doesn't want me here, so I'm checking into a hotel until I my flight leaves on Sunday," she said.

"Oh, are you Bella's mother?" Alice asked bouncing up to Renee. "Hi! I'm Alice; I'm Bella's friend from Dublin."

"Hello," Renee said brusquely before heading back into the bedroom.

"Don't take it personally," I said to Alice. "She doesn't like anyone."

"Jesus," Jasper said. "How did someone as sweet as Bella come from a bitch like that?"

"The apple just fell very, very, very far from the tree, I guess," I retorted.

I noticed that it was almost 6:30, "So, do you two want to help me make dinner?"

"You can cook?" Jasper asked incredulously. "This I have to see."

I gave Jasper a playful punch in the shoulder as I set to making dinner. I was going to attempt making Mexican food, since Bella always said it was her favorite style of food. I was chopping onions with Alice as I heard a knock on the door. Jasper opened it to find an unfamiliar man standing there, "Is Renee here?"

"Yeah," I answered as I walked from the kitchen. "Who are you?"

"I've got a taxi waiting for her."

Just then, the devil sauntered into the room. "Yes, well just grab my things and we'll be on our way."

"Look lady, I'm a driver, not a bloody bellhop! You get your own bags," the cabbie grunted.

Renee waved what looked like 100 quid in his face and the man was suddenly more compliant. He picked up half of her luggage and started back to the car.

"Where are you staying?" I asked with only mild interest; she might as well leave London altogether as far as I'm concerned.

"The Royal Garden," she said haughtily. Royal Garden? A five-star hotel? Where was she getting all this money from? "So, will you let Bella know for me? Thanks so much."

"You haven't even told her you're leaving?" I spat at her.

"She wouldn't have expected me to, anyway," she smirked evilly as she strolled out the door. I really hope I never have to see that woman again.

Alice and I continued to make the food until Alice asked a very important question.

"Um, Edward? What exactly are we making?"

"I'm not quite sure," I said. "Can't we just sauté some onions and mix them in with some beef and tortillas and call it a day?"

"How very culturally aware of you," Alice chuckled. "Well, we have onions, tomatoes, ground beef, cheese, tortillas and an avocado. Pretty slim pickings, but we could just make burritos or something."

"Sounds good to me," I said.

"So, what's the wine for?" Alice asked. "Wine isn't exactly good with Mexican food. At least, I don't think it is."

"Now that I actually had planned out," I laughed. "I'm going to mix it with some different juices and brandy to make some Sangria."

"That's the best idea you've had all day, mate," Jasper said, finally picking himself off of the couch. "Need some help with that?"

"Sure," I smirked at Alice as she giggled. "It's something even Jasper can't cock up."

BPOV

It was a long day of work after that Renee episode, but the kids managed to put me in a better mood. Rosie showed me the dance their learning in ballet, while Emmett regaled me with stories of his football training. I made them dinner then tucked them into bed. After we said our goodnights, I made my way back to the guest house much happier than I had been this morning. I just hoped Renee wouldn't try to do anything to change that.

I walked in to the smell of ground beef being browned and the sound of people chatting; I recognized Alice's high-pitched laugh.

"Alice?"

"Bella!!" She squealed as she rushed me before I was even two steps into the house.

"Hey Bella, how are you sweetheart?" Jasper asked, hugging both me and Alice.

"I'm much better now that I've seen you guys; what brings you to London?"

"Well," Alice said. "We were going to wait to tell you all but...I'm pregnant!"

"What!!" Edward and I screamed at the same time.

"HA! Just kidding!" Alice cried. "But you should have seen your faces!"

"Good one, love," Jasper said. "No, we're just visiting for a while; though..."

"Though what?" Edward encouraged.

"We've been thinking of finding a way to move here. I mean, Dublin's great and all, but you're our only couple friends," Alice said. "We're tired of hanging out with the drunks at the pub."

"Well, she is, anyway," Jasper joked as Alice gave him a swat on the arm.

"In any case," Bella said. "It's good to see you both."

I looked around the room then, noticing things were a bit different; plus, the air wasn't filled with the scent of skanky, cheap perfume.

"Where did Renee go?" I asked.

"Um," Edward began, "She left. She checked herself into a hotel and left."

"Ha! How typically Renee!" I started laughing uncontrollably.

"Bella," Alice asked, worried. "Did something happen today?"

"Only me telling Renee to keep her money-grubbing paws off of Carlisle; and now, she's stormed out in the classic, over-dramatic Renee style."

"Well," Jasper said. "She did say you would be expecting it."

"Yup," I said, wiping a tear from my eye. "I wouldn't expect anything less. Did she say where she was staying?"

"The Royal-bloody-Garden," Edward said. "Bella, where does your mother get her money from?"

"Hard to say," I replied. "She could have nagged my dad into giving it to her – or Phil. Or she could have just found some rich, dirty old man on his deathbed to be her Sugar Daddy for a little while; I wouldn't put it past her."

"What a piece of work," Jasper snickered.

"Indeed," I said. "So, what's for dinner?"

They weren't exactly the best burritos I've ever had, but they were delicious all the same – probably because Renee was gone; or maybe it was because I was so impressed that my sweet, little English boy would attempt to make something so foreign to him.

During dinner, Edward told me of his job and the flat he found in Hackney; I practically jumped across the table in jubilation. It was starting to feel like our life together was really starting.

We all had another round of Sangria before Alice and Jasper said their goodbyes. I tried to get them to stay – it was ridiculous for them to try and get a hotel room – but Alice gave me a meaningful look. "I think you and Edward should be alone tonight," she whispered.

It was true, I really wanted to spend the night with Edward; I really wanted him to make love to me tonight. I relented and let Alice and Jasper go on their way.

Once the door was closed, I felt the heat of Edward's body pressed up against my back. I leaned into him as he brushed the hair off of my shoulder and started kissing my neck. His arms wrapped around my waist as I held his head in place with my hand.

"Are you ready for bed now, Bella?" He whispered in my ear.

"Yes, my love, but I'm certainly not ready for sleep."

I felt him smile against my neck as he scooped me up in his arms and carried me to the bedroom.

We weren't going at it with that heated passion we usually had, but it was still thrilling nonetheless. It was sweeter this way; he was as gentle as possible with me – without being too soft. He didn't nibble at my lips and neck like he usually did, instead he simply kissed me all over; his soft, warm lips felt heavenly as they made their way down to my stomach and even further.

My hips jutted up towards him as he flicked his tongue across my clit and slowly slid two fingers into my eagerly awaiting entrance. I bit my lip to stop myself from crying out; I was starting to get nervous that Carlisle and the kids could hear us during our passionate nights out here.

He brought me to a climax before returning to kiss me deeply. I wanted to return the favor, but something told me he was going to put up a fight on that, and I had had enough with fighting today. And besides, I was more interested in having his wonderful cock inside of me.

He entered me as my legs wrapped around his waist and we started to move together.

"Bella, my angel, do you know how much I love you?"

"Not as much as I love you," I replied as my lips attacked his neck and shoulder with nibbles and kisses.

We continued to move at a steady pace, neither of us wanted to end our connection too soon, until we heard a sound at the bedroom door.

"Well, well, well; more like me every day," Renee said as she was leaning up against the door jam.

"Renee! Get out!" I screamed covering myself with the bed sheet.

"Don't get all modest now, little girl," Renee laughed.

"Renee, I mean it; get the hell out of here!"

"OK, OK, just forgot my Chanel sling-backs," she said, putting her hands up.

"Well get them and go," I said as Edward started rubbing my back soothingly.

She grabbed the offending shoes and headed towards the door, but she stopped as her hand reached the door knob.

"Have fun, you two," she smirked on her way out.

I threw a pillow at the door as it shut behind her then turned to Edward.

"Renee Swan: Mother, tramp, mood killer extraordinaire."

**Next up: Bella's back at school, and maybe a few more blasts from the past…**


	16. Chapter 16

EPOV

**And now, the post Renee aftermath…**

EPOV

At first, I had just a mild dislike of Renee; but now, I'm of the opinion that she is – in fact – the devil herself. After her interruption of what was the sweetest, most gentle and loving round of love-making Bella and I had ever had, I was not in any hurry to ever see her again.

I decided that Bella and I would just become each other's support system; we could be our own family – especially if Alice and Jasper could find a way to stay here.

My first day at HMV has been rather pleasant, actually. Ben, the manager got me up to speed on all of the information that I would need; I took to the cash register very quickly, if I do say so myself, and by lunch I was practically on my way to employee of the month. It probably didn't hurt that I was one of the oldest people working their, I was surrounded by a troupe of semi-retarded 16-year-olds who couldn't seem to figure out exactly what their jobs were.

The only other person there who was my age, unfortunately, was a girl named Tanya – the blond who gave me my application when I first came in. She made it a point to keep herself within a close proximity of me all day, like some kind of puppy. Even after I mentioned my amazing, beautiful, smart and loving girlfriend – at last count, I had done so about 512 times.

"So, Edward…can I call you Eddie?"

"I'd prefer if you didn't."

"You're so funny!" Tanya giggled as I felt my brain start to go numb.

"I'm really not," I dead-panned.

"Anyway, do you want to get a pint or something after work?"

"I need to get home; I like to make dinner for my girlfriend because she works really late."

"Wow! You know, if I was your girlfriend I would be home to make you dinner."

"That's fascinating."

"Come on," she whined. "You can be late just one night, right? It won't just be you and me; I have some mates coming along as well."

"Really, I'm not interested."

"OK, maybe some other time," she purred, sauntering off.

"Whatever," I mumbled as I continued to alphabetize the rock section.

I continued keeping myself occupied for a few moments until I felt a hand smack the back of my head.

"Hey!" I cried, turning around.

"'S the matter, Eddie? Catch you off guard did I?"

James; why won't he just leave me alone?

"Can I help you, sir?" I asked, pretending like I didn't know him.

"Sir? You're a riot, Cullen. Anyway, I hope you've been thinking about my offer."

"I already told you no; I'm not about to change my mind."

James let loose with his evil laugh and a chill ran down my spine.

"Yeah, right; you'd rather stay here and sort out the Britney CDs. Come on, Cullen! You know you're interested in doing this job with me! It's practically foolproof; you know me."

"Yes, I do know you," I hissed. "You're the one who provoked me into stealing a police car, and then didn't even have the decency to visit me in prison."

"What, like I would ever be caught dead within 10 kilometers of the clink?"

"Whatever; I'm done – no more stealing, no more lying, no more of anything that has to do with you."

He gave me a dubious look, "What's her name."

"None of your bloody business," I continued to hiss. "Now leave."

"OK, OK," he held up his hands and back away from me. He turned on his heel and walked out.

One of my 16-year-old co-workers with bright pink hair showed up at my side. "Who was that? He was quite fit!"

I turned to her sternly, "Don't get mixed up with scum like that!"

I walked back to the register to help customers.

BPOV

Most girls would find the event of their mother finding them in bed with their boyfriend humiliating; personally, I found it irritating. It was almost as if she knew it was going to happen, and timed it so she turned up at just the right moment. It was like some bad sitcom plot.

I took Rosalie to a little café while we waited for Emmett's football training to get over with; I ordered a hot chocolate and a latte and we sat and talked. It was funny how listening to this little girl prattle on and on about nothing in particular made me feel better. I wonder if I'll ever have a little girl who can brighten my day like Rosie does.

Just as I was lost in that thought, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned to see an all too familiar tall young man with long, black hair.

"Jacob, what are you doing here?"

"Just visiting London for a couple a while," he said, pulling a chair up to the table. "Still playing the nanny, I see."

"Yes, I happen to love it," I said defensively.

"Still seeing that loser?"

"If you're referring to Edward, yes I'm still seeing him. And we plan on staying together for a long time."

"That's right," Rosie chimed in; god bless this child.

Jacob scowled at Rosie then returned his attention to me. "Aren't you going back to school soon?"

"Monday," I said.

"It may interest you to know that I recently enrolled at City University."

I felt my whole body go cold. "What?"

"Yeah, my dad thought I was wasting my life away in Dublin, so I decided to start taking business classes at City."

"Why?"

"So I can take over my dad's business one day."

"Wouldn't you do that anyway? Isn't that the point of being born into a wealthy family?"

"Well, yes," he said sheepishly. "But, it would behoove me to learn how to run a business first, so I'm going to be responsible and get my act together."

"Why City? You could go anywhere."

"What can I say? It has an excellent business management program."

"Uh-huh," I said, looking at my watch. "Well, look at the time, Rosie. We have to pick up your brother."

"OK!" She chirped, jumping up and heading toward the door.

"See you on campus, Bella!" Jacob called as we closed the door behind us.

EPOV

I didn't take into account how tired I would be after my first day of dealing with imbecilic customers; I was almost dead on my feet. And that meant I was too tired to cook. On my way home, I picked up some take-away from an Indian restaurant and hoped Bella would like what I chose.

When I got in, I set the food in the oven to keep it warm and waited for my angel; she'd be home in a half-an-hour and I had missed her terribly all day.

I flipped on the TV and got lost in the nonsense until I heard the door open and Bella stumbled in tiredly.

"Long day?" I laughed as I strolled over and held her close.

"Let's not talk about it," she said as she leaned into me and wrapped her arms around my waist.

"OK, hungry?"

"Starving."

"Sorry but I didn't make dinner tonight, I bought it," I said.

"It's OK; you probably had a long day too! How was your first day?" She asked, suddenly full of energy.

"It was great; I'm already way ahead of the curve."

"I knew you would be," she said, kissing me on my nose.

"Do you like Indian food?" I asked, placing my forehead against hers.

"Yes, but I'd like anything you bring me right now! I'm so hungry."

I laughed as I pulled the food out of the oven.

We ate and drank the rest of the Sangria from the night before. I could see Bella start to relax and that made her get even more touchy-feely with me, something I always enjoyed.

She sat back in her chair with her right leg draped over my knees; she leaned her head back and gazed at me under hooded eyelids. My angel was beginning to feel naughty, and I would do anything to encourage this kind of behavior; so, I started massaging her knee. After a while, I slowly moved my hand upward.

"Mmmm, that feels good," she murmured.

"I'm glad," I chuckled. "Do you want more?"

"Do you have to ask?" She lifted an eyebrow towards me.

I knew I didn't; I stopped massaging and swept her up in my arms. I was going to make good on what I had started the night before – sweet, slow love-making that lasted all night.

Though our clothes were removed quickly, everything else progressed nice and slow; the caressing, the adoring stares and, especially, the kissing. I made sure to kiss every inch of her body.

"Edward, I need you now…stop torturing me," she moaned.

"Patience, Love; we were rudely interrupted last night. I have a lot to make up for tonight."

"No you don't," she said as she started to squirm in anticipation. "Just make love to me, please?"

"Whatever you say, my angel."

I entered her and started to work up to a nice, smooth rhythm. I bent my head down and buried my face in her neck as we moved together.

"Bella, I love you…will you marry me?"

She stopped moving with me then.

"Love, are you OK?" I asked.

"What did you say?"

"I asked you to marry me. Why? You want to, right?"

"Yes…eventually. I didn't think you wanted to get married now," she said.

We lay there, staring at each other awkwardly; I was still inside of her but there didn't seem to be any pleasure emanating from either one of us.

"But, why not?" I asked.

"We're not ready," she said. "You just started your job, and I'm still in school. We should wait."

"I don't know if I want to wait," I said. "I love you more than anything in the world; I want to be with you forever."

"Won't you still want to be with me forever in a year or so?"

"Yes," I said. "But a year just seems like forever. I want you to be my wife now, don't you want to be?"

"Yes, and I'll still want to be your wife in a year. Why don't we set a date – a year from now, we'll get married. How does that sound?"

I thought about it; Bella's idea did make sense. If we started planning now, it would be Bella's dream come true a year from now – and that's exactly what I wanted.

"You're right," I replied. "But, can I at least say you're my fiancé?"

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

BPOV

I was engaged – OK, not officially, but at least we agreed we were going to get married; even if there wasn't a ring involved yet. Although, I really don't need a ring – so, yes, I am officially engaged.

The only thing that matters is that Edward loves me and he wants to spend the rest of his life with me.

I felt very lightheaded all day as I took care of the children. It's Friday, and my last days with Rosie and Emmett were fast approaching – though, I didn't want to think about that; it actually made me want to cry.

Rosie and I were sitting down for a tea party with her favorite stuffed animals; I wanted it to feel special – because it may be our last – so I brewed some real Earl Grey tea and made scones and cucumber sandwiches for the occasion.

I even got Rosie a toy tiara to wear.

"But, you should wear the crown," Rosie pouted. "You're the princess today."

"No, sweetie, I want you to be the princess today," I said.

Her bottom lip started to quiver a bit, "You'll come back and visit me, right?"

"Of course," I said, hugging her close. "I could never forget my little Rosie."

"Do I get to be the flower girl when you marry Edward?"

This kid is too intuitive for her own good.

"How do you know I'm going to marry Edward?" I teased.

"Because you looooovvvvveeee him," she said in a sing-song voice.

I grinned as she started twirling about the room.

"Yes, you can be my flower girl."

EPOV

Luckily, on my second day of work I was mercifully Tanya-free. That, combined with the joy I was already feeling from Bella accepting my proposal, had me on top of the world. I decided to go for a visit with my mum.

"Well, well, well, this is a surprise," she said, pouring us some tea. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Just haven't seen my mummy in a while," I teased. "And, I have something to ask you."

She looked skeptical, "What?"

"You know that ring that Gran left for me?"

BPOV

I sprinted from the main house to the guest house in my haste to see Edward again – my fiancé. The word made my heart skip a beat every time I thought about it. As soon as I through the door, I ran up and wrapped my arms around his waist as he was making dinner.

"Somebody missed me," he teased, turning to return the hug.

"You have no idea."

"I beg to differ."

"It was just a long day without you," I said as I reached up to kiss him.

I was overtaken by the smell of what he was cooking then – farfalle pasta in a white wine sauce; my favorite.

"Wow, what's the occasion?"

"We're engaged; can't I make a special dinner for my fiancé?" He asked. I knew he was hiding something.

"Uh-huh, what are you up to?"

"You'll just have to wait and see," he teased.

"Cruel man."

We ate in silence with Edward chuckling at my impatience; I practically inhaled my food in order to get to my surprise sooner.

"Easy Love, I don't want to have to give you the Heimlich on top of everything else tonight."

"Well, then just tell me what the surprise is," I whined.

"Have a little patience."

"OK, Axl."

Just when I thought we were done with the meal, Edward brought out a tiramisu.

"More? Edward…" I was getting really impatient now.

"It's a part of the surprise," he said. "I made this myself; it's not store bought or anything."

I eyed him suspiciously, "Really? Even though you have to refrigerate tiramisu for 6 hours?"

He had that deer-in-a-headlights look about him. "Umm, I made it last night?"

"Uh-huh."

"OK, forget the stupid cake," he said grabbing something out of his pocket. He approached me and dropped to one knee.

"Edward, you already proposed and I already said yes; this isn't a surprise."

"No, but this is," he pulled a jewelry box from behind his back and opened it – a ring with one enormous rock was set in the black velvet lining.

"Edward, you didn't spend any money on this, did you? Because you know that I don't need a ring, not if it's going to cost you too much…"

He held up his hand to stop me, "This didn't cost me anything, it belonged to my Gran and she left it for me to give to the woman I marry."

A tear found its way out of the corner of my eye and down my cheek, it was followed by a few friends soon after.

"Edward…this is the sweetest gift anyone has ever given me; I don't deserve this."

"Yes you do; this and so much more. And I want everyone to know that you're my bride-to-be, I want a symbol that shows the world you are taken."

"Sounds good to me," I said, admiring the ring on my finger.

"And, I was planning on giving you a few more symbols tonight; but those, only I'm allowed to see."

With that, he whisked me up and took me to the bedroom.

**Next up: Bella will be back at school, but will she be able to avoid her little pest? And will Edward be able to shake his past?**


	17. Chapter 17

BPOV

**Engaged, and getting married in a year's time! Perhaps sooner than that? What do you think should happen?**

BPOV

I just kept staring at my ring the whole way to school on the tube this morning. I knew some of my friends from last semester were going to be very surprised to find me suddenly engaged over the summer. The thought actually almost made me giddy – in a year's time, I'll be married to the most wonderful man in the world.

I was so lost in my own twitterpated world, I almost missed my stop; I grabbed my bag and rushed to my class.

As I sat along the wall, near the center of the room – my usual spot – I noticed a familiar face bound over to me: Angela; a sweet girl with dark, curly hair.

"Hi Bella! How was your summer?" She chirped happily.

"It was pretty unbelievable actually."

"How so?" She asked, leaning across her desk in animated interest.

"Well," I began, putting my left hand on the desk, "I got engaged."

"Oh my god!! That's amazing! Congratulations! When are you getting married, where are you getting married, what are your colors going to be…"

Angela began firing questions at me so fast, I didn't have time to respond; I was actually kind of relieved when our professor started class. We were released an hour later with a short reading assignment, which I was very grateful for; I hated profs who loaded students down with homework on the first day of classes.

Angela and I had the next class together, and she continued her onslaught of questions. I tried to distract her by offering to buy a coffee at the kiosk near the building our next class was in, "Oh no," she said. "I don't drink coffee, makes you hyper."

Lord, we wouldn't want that!

I got myself a tall, strong coffee with a shot of espresso in it while I honestly pondered some of Angela's questions. Should I be considering any of these things this early? Or should I wait just in case I change my mind a million times, like I know I will?

As I pondered, Angela and I were approached by a young man named Mike, whom I had suspected had a little crush on me last semester. I probably would have gone for him, but he comes off as something of a prat – very full of himself. I think his dad runs a couple of car dealerships or something.

"Hi Bella…Angela…what are you two chatting about?"

"Bella's getting married! Oh, show him the ring, it's so pretty."

I slipped my left hand behind my back, "I'm sure Mike doesn't care about my ring, Angela; guys usually don't care much about jewelry."

"No, I'd like to see it," Mike said, rather uneasily.

I reluctantly pulled my hand out and showed Mike the ring; he gently took my hand and examined my ring a bit too closely for my liking.

"Nice," he said with an air of condescension in his voice. "What's he do for a living?"

"His name is Edward and he works at HMV – for now," I said defensively.

Mike didn't even to try to hide his contempt anymore, "Seriously? You know you can do better, right?"

"Oh, I suppose someone like you?"

"Well, yeah for example; I mean, I AM going to inherit five car dealerships," he said as I fought the urge to smack that smug look off of his face. "I could get you an even better ring then that, AND I could give you anything you've ever wanted. You wouldn't even have to work."

"Hmmm, tempting offer, Mike! I could marry an amazing guy who loves me and respects me, OR I could just settle for you and slowly become some lonely, alcoholic housewife! Damn! That is quite a pickle!"

Angela covered her mouth to suppress her giggles, and I could swear steam was coming out of Mike's ears. I just turned and walked into my class without a word.

I only had one more class for the day, but it wasn't until 3 p.m. Looking at my watch, I was I had three hours until then, so I decided to call Edward and see when he has a lunch break. He's not allowed to use his cell phone at work, but I figured calling him on the work line couldn't hurt, as long as I didn't make it sound like a personal call.

"Thank you for calling HMV, this is Tanya, how may I help you?"

"I'm trying to reach a…" I pretended to search for the right name, "Edward Cullen? Yes, I think that's his name."

"Hold on, let me see if he's available."

There was a moment of silence before the girl was back, "May I ask what this is regarding?"

Shit, I wasn't expecting that.

"This is regarding an order I made with him for a rare DVD the other day, I had a question."

"Perhaps I could answer it for you." This chick is getting on my last nerve.

"I'd really rather ask him, since he was the one who helped me."

"Look sweetie, I know you think Edward is hot and all, but don't think by calling here he's just going to…" She was mercifully cut off then.

"Hello? This is Edward, can I help you?"

"Who the hell was that?" I asked.

He chuckled, "That was Tanya, one of my more …interesting co-workers."

"She's a ho-bag!"

"Indeed; how is my beautiful, loving, wonderful fiancé today?"

"She is in need of your attention! When do you have a lunch break?"

"Half-an-hour; when's your next class?"

"Not until noon," I replied with a flirtatious voice. "Where do you want to meet?"

"Miss Swan? Are you trying to seduce me?"

"Perhaps…are you interested?"

"Are you kidding? I'm practically hard already."

"Edward!" I hissed, embarrassed. "You're not around any co-workers, I hope."

"Don't worry," he laughed. "I'm in the back room."

"Good, so The Angelic in half-an-hour?"

"I'll see you there, my love," he said, planting a big, exaggerated kiss on the phone.

"Dork! I love you!"

"Love you more," he said before I hung up.

I threw my phone back in my purse and began to make my way toward the pub; it was less than a mile, so I decided to walk.

Suddenly, I felt a large hand on my shoulder.

"Found you," Jacob whispered in my ear.

"Good; now lose me, please."

"I don't know if I can do that, Bella; I feel like I'm connected to you. Don't you feel it, too?"

"Not at all," I said, emphasizing every word.

He smiled and raised an eyebrow, "I think you're in denial."

"That's so funny, I was about to say the same thing to you."

"Bella! Don't fool yourself into thinking some loser, ex-con can really love you; no matter how charming he is. Carlisle has told my dad everything about this Edward, and he doesn't deserve you. In fact, how can you be sure he's not just looking for a girl to leach off of?"

"Because he has a job, and he's paying for our new apartment…wait! I don't need to explain anything to you! Please leave me alone?"

"Alright, just remember that as soon as that loser starts to prove himself to be everything I just said he is, I'll be right there to pick up the pieces."

"Awww," I mocked. "How fucking sweet."

I stomped off towards Liverpool Road at a quicker pace than before.

EPOV

Once I hung up with Bella, I felt 10 times better than I had before. Probably because Tanya had been at it again; flirting, tossing her nasty, bottle-blond hair (Which I was almost certain had a few extension in there) and giggling uncontrollably at everything I said – even if it wasn't funny.

It only solidified my love of my beautiful Bella; although, it did sort of make me laugh. Before I met my fiancé, I probably would have gone for Tanya. She was one of those types of girls that you just knew would make a lucrative career as a stripper if she just had a little less self esteem. Which is saying something; because, the way Tanya threw herself at me, I could tell her confidence was already somewhere in the gutter.

I put the receiver back on the hook and walked back to where I was doing inventory on mp3 players when Tanya came up behind me.

"That customer on the phone was kind of a bitch, huh?"

I bristled, but calmed myself quickly before answering, "Actually, she is a very lovely young lady; besides, it's never good business to call a customer a bitch."

"Whatever; so, are you free tonight?"

"Am I ever?"

"Oh Edward, stop being such a fuddy-duddy!" Did she really just call me a 'fuddy-duddy?' "Me and some mates are going to Old King's Head tonight, you should come. We need an escort, anyway, just me and two other girls all alone. You can't just leave us without a nice, strong man around, can you?"

"I'm sure you can find someone else to escort you tonight."

She was quiet for a moment. "Are you gay?"

OK, I can work with that, "Yes, completely! Gayer than Elton John's fanny pack!"

"Edward," she giggled. "You're so funny! I know you're not gay; I can totally tell when a guy is gay, and you so don't have the right vibe!"

Crap! Well, at least I tried.

"So, what is it, then? I mean, I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm extremely hot!" She said, putting her hands on her hips. "What, do I intimidate you?"

She started to run her fingernails down the back of my neck and I shuddered at her repulsive touch.

"Tanya!" I hissed, finally turning to face her. "How many times do I have to tell you, I am taken? I am engaged and I'm not interested in anybody but my fiancé, understand?"

She scoffed, "Yeah, well engaged isn't married, is it?"

"Believe what you want, just know that I will never want to go out for a drink or lunch or anything else with you; so you might as well just stop asking."

She stomped off angrily and I finished my inventory. I asked Ben if I could have a bit longer for lunch with Bella, and he agreed.

I walked into the pub find Bella sitting at the bar with two beers in front of her.

"I hope one of those is for me," I teased, kissing her on the cheek.

"Oh, you wanted one? Damn, I thought I'd just sit here and double-fist a few," she replied; she almost sounded disgruntled.

"Angel, are you OK?" I asked taking her face in my hands.

"I'm fine, I just ran into a few people I didn't want to see today," she said as she leaned forward and kissed me.

"Sounds a little like my day; Tanya isn't always easy to work with," I said, then instantly regretted bringing that name up.

"Yeah, what's up with that bitch? I bet she just hits on you all day, huh?"

She laughed, but she didn't realize how right she was.

"Well, what about you, are guys still giving you the eye on campus, or have they seen the ring and finally got the picture?" I asked, grabbing her left hand and playing with the diamond. I was really glad Gran left this to me, I could never have afforded it on my own, and Bella deserves it.

"Most are…" she said; there was more there than what she let on.

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing," she said. "Let's just get some lunch and forget about the day's unpleasantness, OK?"

"Alright," I smiled and brushed my nose against hers.

BPOV

After our lunch, I slumped my way back to campus and sat under a tree until my last class. Luckily, there were no interruptions by unwanted visitors.

After class, I caught the tube back to Kensington. Carlisle was generous enough to let me stay in the guest house until next Saturday, when Edward and I move into our new apartment.

Tonight, I was going to make Edward dinner; he had been so great for the past month, making me these delicious meals, I was going to show him he wasn't the only one in this family who could cook.

I decided to make what I call my killer dish: Chicken Marsala Mascarpone. I got the ingredients from the shop and started prepping everything once I got into the house. I was just browning the chicken when I heard a knock at the door. I grabbed a towel and dried my hands on the way to the door, and promptly dropped it on the floor when I saw who was standing there.

"Dad? What are you doing here?"

"Oh, so your mother can visit you, but I can't, is that it?" He asked, crossing his arms sternly.

"You've never even tried to contact me since I moved; so excuse me if I'm a little surprised to see you here."

"Is Renee still here?"

"She checked into the Royal Garden a few days ago, but I think she's moved on already."

"Huh, that's nice," he said as I let him into the house. "Cooking dinner?"

"Yeah, that dish Grandma Swan taught me."

"Looks like there's enough for more than one," he said suspiciously as he perused the skillet. "Expecting someone?"

"My …..fiancé will be home at 5."

"Fiancé? You're engaged? And you didn't feel compelled to call and tell your own father?" He turned around fiercely; his face was already bright red.

"Well, I knew you'd react like this no matter what, so I decided to forgo the whole 'telling the folks' process."

"More like your mother every day," he muttered as he ran his hands through his hair.

"Do you want to stay for dinner?" I asked quietly.

"Well, I think I outta meet my future son-in-law, shouldn't I?"

"If you want…and if you're nice!"

"Who said I wouldn't be nice?"

I finished the chicken and the pasta as dad sat and watched TV until Edward came home. He bound through the front door with a bouquet of lilies – my favorite flowers – and stopped dead in his tracks when he clapped eyes on Charlie sitting on the couch. My dad flipped off the TV and stood slowly, menacingly. He walked up to Edward and appraised him with contempt.

"Edward, I presume?"

"Yes," Edward said with a gulp. "Are you Charlie, Bella's father?"

"Indeed I am. You're the punk who thinks he's going to marry my daughter," it was a statement, not a question.

"DAD! Be nice!" I yelled from the kitchen.

"This is as nice as I can muster right now, Bells," Charlie yelled back at me.

I emerged from my cooking and stood in the living room with my hands on my hips.

"Well, if that's as nice as you can be, why don't you two just sit and watch TV until I am done with dinner?"

They both nodded and sat on the couch: Edward watching the program intently, my dad watching him with utter contempt and hatred **(A/N: this is what my own dad did to the first date I ever brought home).**

I dished out the chicken and pasta and poured the Pinot Grigio before calling the boys in for dinner. We ate in silence; Charlie was still staring at Edward like he was pondering how he could dispose of the body safely.

So much for the romantic dinner I was hoping for.

EPOV

I stopped by a corner shop on my way home and bought a bunch of lilies; I knew they'd brighten Bella's day, since it didn't seem to be going so well. But, as soon as I walked in, I was a man with dark hair and Bella's same dark, brown eyes sitting on the couch – that had to be Chief Charlie Swan; Bella's father and a Washington State police officer. I was just hoping he wasn't armed.

We sat and watched some telly, but I could hardly concentrate as I felt his eyes burning holes into me the whole time; it continued through dinner.

All hope of coming hope and making love to Bella tonight flew out the window, until she asked that all important question.

"Dad, do you have a place to stay tonight? Or do you want to stay here?"

"I booked a room at the Arriva Hotel," Charlie said. "However, I may want to stay here tonight…"

His glare returned to me and I returned it, I wasn't going to let him intimidate me into not sleeping with the woman I love. It was none of his business, anyway; Bella is an adult.

"If you've already booked the room you shouldn't waste your money," Bella said quickly. "At least, not considering how fast Renee has been spending it."  
Charlie laughed for the first time, "She hasn't been spending my money, that's for damn sure!"

"Where is she getting it, then; Phil?" Bella asked.

"Actually, your great-aunt Faye died and she left quite a bit of money to Renee; that's what she's using."

"I should have figure," Bella laughed, shaking her head. "Why mourn when you can spend, right?"

Charlie let out a huge, gut-laugh at that; then he looked at his watch.

"Well, it's almost 9; I should head to my hotel." He was still giving me the death glare.

"OK, dad, I have class until 2 tomorrow, but we can meet up after that," Bella said.

"Alright, Bells, do you still have my number?"

"Believe it or not, I do," Bella smiled.

"OK, sweetie; I'll see you tomorrow," Charlie said as he kissed Bella on the forehead before turning to walk out the door. He stopped and turned to me, "And you…behave yourself."

I saluted him with mock obedience, "Yes sir!"

**So, I'm thinking there needs to be a meeting between Charlie and Renee! And (thanks grtchn!) perhaps a nice, physical confrontation between Edward and Jacob? Who knows…**

**P.S. the recipe for the Chicken Marsala Mascarpone is on my bio/profile, along with a delicious strawberry trifle (all credit goes to Giada De Laurentiis).**


	18. Chapter 18

OK, an extra long chapter today, because I've had very little to do at work and I have been fortified by blackberry frozen cus

**OK, an extra long chapter today, because I've had very little to do at work and I have been fortified by blackberry frozen custard and chicken bambinos from Good Times (those of you not familiar with this burger chain, it's mostly here in Colorado, and it is awesome!)**

**Also, I've updated some info on my profile. People ask me a lot of the same questions, so I'm going to expand some of my info (I guess I'm getting more trusting in my old age; here's hoping I don't earn myself any stalkers along with way)**

**And now, we continue...**

**BPOV**

School today was infinitely better than yesterday; first of all, none of my professors assigned any homework, and then there weren't any run-ins with boys who can't get a clue.

Although, I was kind of dreading calling my dad this afternoon. I mean, he seemed OK when he left the house last night, but that may have just been for show. I had a feeling I was going to get one, intense lecture about the Edward/engagement situation.

I bit the bullet and gave Charlie a call.

"Hello?"

"Hey Dad, what are you up to?"

"Not much, Bells. School done for the day?"

"Yup, do you want to meet somewhere for coffee?"

"Sure; actually, I don't suppose you could meet me at my hotel, could you? I don't really know my way around London."

"Yeah, I'll catch the next tube there."

"Listen to you; you're starting to sound like you really belong here," he said, his voice had a hint of sadness in it.

"I really think I do, Dad. I'll be there in a few, OK?"

"See you then, sweetie."

I got to the nearest station and made my way to Charlie's hotel. Once I was there, I found him in the bar of the hotel sipping a rum and coke.

"Hey Dad," I said as he stood to hug me awkwardly.

"Hey, did you want something to drink?"

Considering my past experience drinking with one of my parents, I opted out of that one.

"So, do you want to get some coffee or something? I know a little shop not far from here, they're decent."

"Actually, I had another place in mind, but it's a surprise."

"OK," I said tentatively.

He paid his tab and I followed him out of the hotel where he flagged down a cab. Charlie handed a piece of paper with an address written on it to the cabbie and he dutifully drove us to our destination. My heart jumped up into my throat when I realized we were at the Royal Garden Hotel, where Renee was staying.

"Dad? What are we doing here?"

"We're going up there to have a chat with Renee."

"Oh Dad, I should never have told you she was staying here; besides, she's probably left already -- she was only supposed to be staying a week." I was silently praying she had moved on.

"Oh no, I called the front desk," Charlie said. "She hasn't checked out yet. In fact, she's running up quite the tab; I wouldn't be surprised if she spends all of Faye's money before the week is out."

"Please Dad, let's just go! This is not going to end well, I can feel it."

"No, we have to do this," he said, turning to me with sad eyes. "Your mother needs to hear what we have to say."

"She's probably already half in the bag up there, you know?" I countered. "She may not even be coherent enough to talk to, you know how Renee can get."

"We have to try."

I knew there would be no talking Charlie out of this, so I exited the taxi and followed him up to the front desk.

"Hi," he said to the concierge. "I called earlier about Renee Swan? Is she still in the Garden Suite?"

"Awww yes, Mrs. Swan," the man, Graham said warily. "She is still in the Garden Suite, I'll take you there myself."

Something told me this Graham fellow wanted Renee out of hotel, like, yesterday. We took the lift up to Renee's suite and Graham unlocked the room without even knocking.

"Mrs. Swan? You have visitors."

"GET THE HELL OUT OF MY ROOM!!" I could hear the sound of a bottle crashing into a wall. Oh yeah, she's wasted.

"Renee! It's Charlie and Bella," we hesitantly walked into the room; I hid behind Charlie so I could avoid any other flying objects my mother might choose to wield.

"No! I don't want to see you!" Renee's voice sounded like she had spent the whole day crying.

"Too bad, honey; we're here and we're not leaving until you come out and talk to us."

I braced myself for another tirade, but it never came. Charlie and I made our way to the bathroom to find Renee slumped on the floor, sobbing.

"Mom? What's wrong?" I asked, sitting on the floor next to her.

"Phil left me!" She wailed, throwing her arms around me. "He's been seeing some 19-year-old and she's pregnant! And he's going to marry her! Can you believe that? How could he do that to me?"

I looked up to Charlie, who stood in the doorway with no expression on his face. I couldn't tell if he was happy about this news or not.

"Mom, shhhhh, calm down," I said, gently rubbing her back. "If he could do something like that to you, he doesn't deserve you."

I'm not sure if I really believed that, I just wanted Renee to stop bawling. She really did need a reality check: Renee is a 40-year-old woman whose 29-year-old boyfriend left her for someone younger; it shouldn't have really been that surprising. But, it probably still had to hurt a lot.

Renee's breathing was returning to normal and her tears had subsided. She looked up at me, "Thanks, Bells. I needed that."

She wiped her eyes on her -- actually the hotel's -- silk robe and looked up at Charlie for the first time. "I suppose you're feeling particularly gloat-y right now, hmmm?"

"No, Renee; I just came here to talk with you," he said calmly.

"About what?" She said, crossing her arms and giving him her best haughty stare.

"Us...this family; we need to reassess this situation, don't you think? Our daughter moved about 5,000 miles just to get away from us; doesn't that make you a little concerned?"

"She was moving on with her life," Renee replied. "That's what young women do when they turn 18 -- they leave the nest."

"True, but they usually don't leave the country. Especially when they don't know anyone in their new home."

"What are you getting at, Charlie? Are you saying I drove Bella away?"

"No," he said. "I'm saying WE drove Bella away; together. I'm not faultless here, and neither are you."

"Hey, I may have been having an affair, but you were the one who crawled into a bottle and didn't come out for two years!" Renee said.

"I'm sorry for what I did," Charlie said, his voice raising slightly. "But, at least I admit I was wrong. You won't even do that much."

"What was I wrong about? Wanting a little affection from someone?"

"I gave you affection!" Charlie was yelling too now. "You just wanted it from somebody other than your husband."

"Stop!" I yelled, they both turned to me, startled. "This is why I left; it wasn't the drinking or the affair, it was the fighting! If you two can't live together, then why don't you just get a divorce? It'll make life a lot easier for everybody!"

"Isabella Marie Swan! You don't mean that!" Charlie said.

"Yes I do!" I yelled back. "I know you two still love each other, but that doesn't mean you're meant to stay married. You're too much alike; either you grow up, or you give it up! No one can say that you didn't try -- you stayed together until I was out of the house and that's all I could have asked of you. But now, you both need to really consider whether or not this is working. If you can't stop fighting, it's probably best if you just end it all."

Charlie was about to retort, but Renee cut him off. "She's right, Charlie. We can't go on like this. I think we should get a divorce; and don't worry, I won't ask you for anything. I just want to move on with my life."

I saw a tear well up in Charlie's eye. "I still love you."

"I love you too, Charlie. But, I can't stay married to you; we've grown apart. Please, let's end it?"

"That's what you really want?"

Renee nodded and Charlie wiped the tear from his eye, "Alright, Renee. When we get home, we'll file the papers."

I couldn't help it -- I knew this was the best thing for my parents, that they needed to just separate and move on -- but I broke down then. It was probably just a release of tension that had been building up since Charlie and I arrived at the hotel, but it was intense nonetheless. My parents hugged me between the two of them and I let out all the emotion I had pent up for the past ten years.

"Bells, we love you; this doesn't change that," Charlie said. "Nothing will ever change that."

I sniffed and nodded. Renee reached up and wiped my face as Charlie stroked my hair until I stopped crying. Our emotional family moment was interrupted by my phone ringing: it was Edward.

"Hello?" My voice was still weak.

"Love? Where are you? Are you OK?"

"I'm fine, I'm with my parents; I think we just had a breakthrough," I chuckled, Renee and Charlie laughed along with me.

"Are you at the Royal?"

"Yeah."

"Do you want me to come get you?"

"No," I said. "I'll meet you at home."

"OK, see you when you get here; I love you."

"I love you, too," I said, hanging up.

It was then that Renee noticed my left hand, "Bella? What's that?"

She was pointing to my engagement ring with a worried look on her face.

"Edward proposed the other day, and I said yes," I replied a little more defiantly than I meant.

Renee appraised me skeptically. "Are you sure about this? You haven't known this boy for very long; I don't want you rushing into anything."

"Renee," Charlie warned. "You and I are not in any position to give Bella relationship advice right now."

I guess Renee decided she couldn't argue with that and let it drop.

"But," Charlie added. "Since we're here, we would like to meet Edward's family; wouldn't we, Renee?"

"Yes, we would," she replied. "I've already met Carlisle, but maybe we could set up a dinner with Edward's mother?"

"Who's Carlisle, Edward's father?" Charlie asked.

"No, he's Edward's uncle; I was working as a nanny for Carlisle's children, that's how Edward and I met," I said.

"What about Edward's father, where is he?" Charlie pressed.

"I don't know," I said. "And neither does Edward; his father abandoned Edward and his mom before Edward was born."

"Oh," Charlie said, letting the subject drop.

"So," Renee said. "When are we going to met the future in-laws?"

**EPOV**

I got home at 5, and Bella was nowhere to be found. I figured she was still with her father, but it worried me that they were taking so long. I already knew Charlie didn't like me very much, so I was actually a bit frightened that he might be somewhere trying to keep Bella from me. I know that sounds paranoid, but I'm just like that; I worry every day that Bella's going to suddenly realize she's too good for me and make a break for it. I don't really feel I deserve her, anyway.

However, my call to her -- as well as her reassurance that she does, in fact, still love me -- made me feel a lot better. I sat down and switched on the telly before I heard a knock at the door. I wasn't sure if I should answer it -- no one in the main house knows I'm staying here -- but I figured, since they could hear the telly in the background, it would be stupid to try and pretend no one is home.

I answered to find what I feared standing there: Carlisle.

"Edward? What are you doing here?" He didn't sound mad; at least I had that going for me.

"Waiting for Bella."

"She lets you stay here?" Now he was beginning to sound slightly angry.

"Yes," I said, straightening up so I didn't appear too weak. "We are engaged, after all."

"You asked her to marry you?"

"Yes."

Carlisle looked stunned, but his expression actually softened after awhile.

"Good for you," he said.  
"Beg pardon?"

"I think that's one of the smartest things you ever done, lad. Bella's a good, smart and wonderful person; she'll make an honest man out of you."

I smirked, "She already has."

He smirked back, "Good, well when do you expect her back?"

"Soon, she's visiting her parents at Renee's hotel."

"Her father's here?"

"Yeah, he surprised her."

"Interesting; well, when she comes back, you two can join us for dinner, alright?"

"Sounds good," I said as I watched him go.

I shut the door feeling oddly proud of myself.

Bella strolled in 15 minutes later, and I was immediately at her side.

"What happened? Are you OK? You sounded upset over the phone..."

She silenced me with her right index finger and gave me a weak smile, "Yes, we had an emotional confrontation, but I'm fine now. We all really needed that."

I wrapped her in my arms and kissed the top of her head, "I'm glad you all were able to talk; but, I hate seeing, or hearing, you upset."

"I know, I would hate it if you were in my position, as well; but, the unpleasantness is behind us...well, almost..."

"Almost?"

"Umm, yeah...Renee and Charlie want to meet your mom," she said tentatively.

"And?"

"Well, Charlie will be OK, but Renee still worries me; she's a snob, and I'm afraid she'll offend your mother."

I chuckled, "Bella, my mum's a big girl, she can dish it out just as well as Renee can take it."

She still didn't look convinced, so I distracted her, "Carlisle came by; he invited us to dinner."

"Carlisle saw you here? Was he mad?"

"No; at least, not after I told him I'm your fiancé," I said. "He seemed to be happy about that actually."

"Really? That's great! You two are making more progress!" She said as she kissed the tip of my nose. But, I wasn't having any of that teasing; I pulled her in for a proper kiss -- I feel they should last at least 30 seconds or more.

Bella broke the kiss moments later, gasping for breath. "We should go; Carlisle will be waiting for us."

We walked hand in hand to the main house, where Rosalie immediately pounced on Bella and me as soon as we walked in.

"Bella! Edward! I've missed you so much!" She squealed, entangling herself in Bella's legs and mine; we chuckled as I reached down and plucked Rosie off of the ground. I threw her over my shoulder and started tickling her sides.

"HAHAHAHA!! Edward! Stop! No!!" Rosie started laughing until tears rolled down her cheeks.

"OK, you two; enough of that," Bella chided playfully.

"Yes ma'am," I replied as I set Rosie back down.

Emmett emerged then, he looked so different from the beginning of the summer, and I hardly even recognized him. He carried himself with more confidence and he smiled more; plus, I think he grew about a foot, as well.

"Hello Emmett," Bella said, giving him a hug. "How are you?"

"Good," he replied before turning to me; he stuck out his hand and I shook it a couple times before pulling him in for a hug.

"What? Too big to hug your cousin now?" I teased.

"No," he laughed.

"Alright! Is everybody here?" Carlisle said, entering the room.

"I believe we are," Bella said.

"Well then, dinner is served."

We followed Carlisle into the dining room; Bella and I sat across from Rosie and Emmett, with Rosie giving Bella and me curious looks the whole meal. Afterwards, Carlisle was the first to pipe up.

"So, Edward and Bella have news, don't you?"

I squeezed Bella's hand and she turned to smile at me before looking to Emmett and Rosie, now giving us their full attention.

"Edward asked me to marry him...and I said yes," Bella said simply.

Rosie let out one of the loudest, most high-pitched screams I've ever heard -- somewhere near the level only dogs can hear -- and ran to Bella. She hopped up into Bella's lap and started hugging the life out of her.

"I knew it! I knew you two were going to get married! And now Bella will be my cousin and she can take me shopping all the time and Edward will come over more often..." Rosie continued on a tangent about how our new lives would be as I sat there and smiled at Bella, who held Rosie close to her. I noticed a little tear collect in the corner of Bella's eye as she rested her head on Rosie's. I lost myself imagining how she will be with our children; Bella is going to be a really amazing mother -- despite not having much of one herself.

"Well, this calls for a celebration, doesn't it?" Carlisle asked.

"Oh, you don't have to do anything for us, Carlisle," Bella protested.

"Nonsense, you celebrate engagements! I had Mrs. Cromwell bake her famous Victoria sponge cake with fresh strawberries and clotted cream. And," he added, as a butler brought in two bottles and five champagne glasses, "a little bubbly. Some real champagne for the adults, and some sparkling apple cider for the children."

"Carlisle, this is to much," Bella said.

I almost had to agree, I noticed the bottle he served to Bella, him and me was Cristal. But, I wasn't about to start looking gift horses in the mouth now.

"We might as well let Carlisle have his way, Love," I whispered to Bella. "He's going to have it anyway."

She turned and gave me a surprised look and a just winked at her. We toasted with Carlisle and downed our champagne as we indulged in Mrs. Cromwell's cake.

We had a couple more glasses of champagne, but I managed to get Bella out of there before she got tipsy. Back at the house, we celebrated in our own way.

**BPOV**

Oh my god! I have to throw up!

That was my first thought upon waking this morning; I rushed to the bathroom and made it to the toilet just in time. Edward was hot on my heels as I ran.

"Bella, Love? Are you OK?" He asked as he held my hair back out of my face.

Once I finished, I leaned into his chest and groaned, "Why did you let me drink so much last night?"

"You didn't drink that much, Love; at least, I don't think you did. Did you sneak some more alcohol in while I wasn't looking?"

"You know that even a little alcohol is a lot for me," I whined as another wave of vomiting ripped through me.

"I'm sorry, Love; I tried to get you out of there before you got too wasted."

The second wave was over and Edward helped me to the sink so I could brush my teeth. After I accomplished that, I realized something -- all of my nausea was gone, and I didn't even have a headache. It was odd, usually my hangovers include massive headaches and all day nausea. Something wasn't right.

I turned on the shower and noticed that Edward was still looking at me with worried eyes.

"Are you OK?" He asked.

"I am now," I said, wrapping my arms around his waist. "Thanks for taking care of me. Sorry I yelled at you, it's not your fault I got sick."

I kissed him lightly on the lips, but when he started to deepen it I pulled away.

"I need to get ready, I have classes today," I said as he groaned in frustration. "What time do you work?"

"9-5, same time as always," he said.

I was thankful that his manager had been able to give him a convenient schedule -- 9-5, Monday through Friday. We were only apart during the day, and we had weekends together; it was making life a lot sweeter. After we both were ready and out the door, we took the same tube towards our destinations; I had to get off before he did, so I gave him one last kiss and reluctantly exited.

I had one late class today that would go until 5, but I liked the idea of me and Edward getting home about the same time. Angela and I spent most of the day together just talking and hanging out; I decided I would make her one of my bridesmaids in the wedding, but Alice would be my maid-of-honor.

When that last thought hit me, I started to panic -- we hadn't told Alice and Jasper about the engagement yet! I excused myself from Angela and ran outside the coffee shop where we were killing time between classes. I whipped out my phone and called Alice.

"Hey Bells! What's going on?"

"I'm soooooooooooooooo sorry, Alice! I should have told you this sooner, but Edward and I have been so distracted lately, and I got busy with school and my parents have been occupying a lot of my time..."

"Whoa, whoa, Bella...slow down! What did you need to tell me?"

"Edward asked me to marry him, and I said yes!" This was becoming my standard explanation now.

"OH MY GOD!! BELLA!! I'M SO HAPPY FOR YOU!!"

I had to pull the phone away from my ear as Alice's voice was reach a Mariah Carey-level octave range.

"When are you getting married?"

"Well, we've been thinking of waiting until next summer, so I'll be out of school, and Edward will have had plenty of time to move up in his job."

"Leave it up to you to be so bloody rational about things," she teased. "Well, we'll have to celebrate then, won't we?"

"We can do that on Saturday, after you guys help us move," I said. "We can go out and do it up right."

"But I can't wait that long to see you, are you free tonight?" I forgot that, for Alice, three days was a long time to wait.

"Yeah, why don't you come over around 6?"

"Great! See you then, Mrs. Cullen."

I laughed and hung up the phone, I knew I was now looking forward to a night full of choosing color schemes and dress styles. But I made up my mind that I would just go along with whatever Alice wanted for this wedding, it would just be easier that way.

Once my class let out at 5, I sprinted to the tube station. I hoped I would catch the same one that Edward was on; but no such luck. I sat and looked out the window when I felt a presence sit abnormally close to me.

"Fancy meeting you on the tube."

No, I thought to myself, why did I have to run into him today?

"Go away, Jacob."

"I can't; you see, my father gave me explicit instructions to take some things to Carlisle's house. But, as it turns out, I haven't any idea where Carlisle lives; so you have to take me there."

"You've got to be kidding me."

"Oh, I don't joke about business, sweetheart."

I decided to simply ignore him and continued to stare out the window. Fine; if he needed to follow me home, I'd let him. But it didn't mean I had to talk to him.

I jumped off at my stop and walked as fast as I could without looking too obvious; if he lost me in the crowd, that was his fault. I weaved around the other people at the tube station, and once I was well away from the train I looked back. He was not three feet behind me -- dammit!

I picked up my pace, but my freakishly long-legged tag-along was not to be deterred; he kept up with me easily. Once we were at the Cullen's estate, I turned to him, "There's the main house."

I walked off to the guesthouse without another word. Upon entering, I noticed that I had beat Edward home, so I rummaged through the fridge to see if there was anything edible -- or, at least not spoilt. I was unsuccessful.

I went to the pantry and found cans of soup and pasta; I chose the soup because -- after dealing with Jacob -- I had no patience to wait for water to boil. I found the can opener and emptied the contents of tomato soup into a large bowl, I filled it with milk and set it to cook for 3 minutes.

I flipped on the TV to help me kill the interim time. I heard a knock at the door and wondered if Edward had forgotten his key.

"You didn't really think you were going to get rid of me that easily, did you?" Jacob asked, looking at his nails like he was disinterested.

"Yes, I did," I replied with as much enthusiasm. "So, goodbye!"

He blocked the door as I tried to shut it in his face; I almost fell backward, he pushed the door in so hard.

"Go away, Jacob! How many times to I have to tell you?"

"You really have to stop lying to yourself, Bella." He was getting dangerously close to me. "I am the man you need, and -- let's face it -- the man you want. So, let's just go back to that cozy little bed of yours so I can show you what you've been missing."

Suddenly, Jacob was being thrown against a wall by some unseen force. Then I saw Edward where Jacob had once been, his hands held my face gently.

"Are you OK?" He asked.

"Yes."

Edward was suddenly flipped around by Jacob who swung before Edward could stop him. The blow landed on Edward's left cheek and sent him flying into me; the force pushed us back into the couch.

"I'm sorry, Love," he said, stumbling off of me. "Stay here."

Edward turned quickly to find Jacob taking another swing. Edward blocked it and countered with an uppercut into Jacob's ribcage; with the wind knocked out of him, Jacob coward away from Edward to regroup. Suddenly, the two were back at it -- punching and kicking and head-butting each other; Jacob gave Edward a shiner, and I think Edward may have broken Jacob's nose. I had to stop this; I ran to the garden just outside the guesthouse and luckily found a very long hose on the faucet -- it reached all the way to the house and then some.

I turned the hose on and ran back to find Edward on Jacob's back, attempting to choke him. Jacob was about to back Edward into the wall when I hit them with the water. The garden hose had one of those super strong sprayers on the end, and it probably hurt a lot being sprayed at such a close range; but it was necessary to get these two to calm down. And it worked, both had stopped pummeling each other and concentrated on blocking the water I was shooting at them.

"Bella! Stop! That stings!" Jacob cried. I concentrated more of the water on him in an attempt to get him out of the house. He followed my lead and started to move toward the exit; just as I was about to get him out the door, Carlisle appeared out of nowhere.

"Bella! Jacob! What the hell is going on here?"

I shut of the nozzle and Jacob slumped back against the doorframe. Carlisle took one look at Jacob and Edward's bloody faces and deduced what I had been dealing with.

"These two were having a row, eh?" He smirked up at me.

I nodded and began removing the hose from the house. I started winding it back on its hook by the garden when I saw Alice and Jasper start to come up the walk.

"What happened here?" Jasper asked.

"Fight," I said. "Edward and Jacob."

Suddenly, we heard shouting coming from the guesthouse.

"No, not again," I said warily as I ran towards the commotion.

But it wasn't Edward and Jacob this time, it was Carlisle and Jacob.

"I can't believe you, Jacob! I know you were raised better than to come into someone's house and start trouble!"

"He started it," Jacob whined. "He pushed me first!"

"That's because you were trying to force yourself on me!" I cried from the doorway.

Carlisle's anger went from a 6 to about a 12 at that point.

"YOU WHAT??" He screamed in Jacob's face.

"Sh-sh-she's lying," Jacob stuttered, cowering away again. For someone so imposing, he really was a chicken shit.

"I am not, you were trying to come in here and make me 'see the light,' weren't you? Trying to show me...what was it you said? Oh yeah, show me what I've been missing."

Carlisle was trying to calm down, but his beet red face told another story. He was livid!

"Jacob, I'm going to have to tell your father about this," Carlisle's voice was shaking as he tried to keep it even. "And if you ever bother Bella again, I'll let Edward finish what he started."

"Fine!" Jacob cried, his voice broke and Alice and I tried not to laugh. "I won't bother Bella! But I will bother this wanker! I'm going to sue him! Look at what he did to my nose! I think it's broken!"

"Just leave before you make an even bigger ass of yourself, mate," Jasper advised.

Jacob was about to open his foolish mouth to speak again, but Carlisle bellowed a final "GET OUT!" and Jacob was out the door at ludicrous speed.

Carlisle ran his hands through his hair as the color of his face returned to normal. He turned to the four of us standing there, waiting for him to speak.

He looked at me and laughed, "That was good thinking with the hose, Bella! It never would have occurred to me to try that; although, now I'm going to have to have someone come in and clean this place up."

"No, don't do that," I said. "I did this, I'll clean it."

"No, this wasn't your fault; you were trying to stop two people from killing each other," he shot a glance at Edward, "Besides, you wouldn't be able to clean this place up by yourself. I need professionals to do it."

I was about to protest again when Edward wrapped a reassuring arm around my waist.

"So," Carlisle continued, "I'll put you two up in a hotel room until we can get this mess cleaned up; it probably won't be any later than tomorrow night."

Edward and I nodded as we went to the back and packed what we would need for tomorrow. We walked back out and Carlisle had his cell phone out, "So, how does the Hilton sound? It's a very nice hotel, I know the manager there..."

"Actually," Edward said, "Jasper and Alice are staying at the Generator Hostel. Could we try and find a room there?"

Carlisle looked skeptical, "The Hilton is so much nicer...and I don't like the idea of you two staying in a hostel. In fact, I don't think Jasper and Alice should be staying there, either."

"It's perfectly safe, Mr. Cullen," Jasper countered.

"Well, just to be on the safe side, I'm booking two rooms at the Hilton," he said as he dialed the number. "I'll put you all up for two nights, how does that sound?"

"Wh...ow!" Jasper was about to question Carlisle when Alice elbowed him in the ribs.

Carlisle stepped outside and made the reservations; Jasper turned to Alice.

"What was that for?" He hissed.

"Don't be questioning something like staying the night in a really nice hotel!" She countered. "Besides, I'm tired of having to share a room with about 10 other people!"

Jasper thought about that; I was sure he wouldn't mind having a room alone with Alice for a couple nights. He smiled wickedly at her.

"OK, it's done," Carlisle said, coming back into the room. "The car will take you over there, just tell them your book into the rooms under my name and they'll take care of the rest."

"Thank you, Carlisle; this is too nice of you," Edward said.

"It's my pleasure," he said before he turned and walked back into the main house.

**EPOV**

The only thing I wanted to do was go up to our room and spend the night holding Bella close to me, but Alice had other ideas. We stopped by the hostel so Alice and Jasper could grab their things; then we got to the Hilton and got our card keys for our rooms. In the lift, I was about to whisper to Bella that we should try out the Jacuzzi tub the concierge said was in our room, but Alice started bouncing excitedly.

"Oh, Bella! I have my laptop with me, so we can look at these wedding web sites I found! And we can look at gowns...and don't tell me you want something simple because a girl needs to feel like a princess on her wedding day..."

She was talking so fast, her words started to run together. I was just about to drown her out when Jasper was at my side.

"Hey mate, I didn't get to say congratulations! That was a smart move, asking Bella to marry you. When you find a girl like that, you've gotta keep her."

"What about you?" I asked him with a smirk. "Are you going to ask Alice to marry you?"

"Me? The wandering free spirit? Nah...well, at least not right now..."

We chuckled as Alice continued to chatter on about flowers and other such wedding nonsense. The lift stopped and we got off.

"So you want to come to my room, or do this in your room?" Alice asked Bella.

"Ummm..." Bella began.

"Why don't we all come to our room and order some room service and watch some telly?" Jasper suggested.

"Sounds good," I sighed; I suddenly felt a pain in my side where Jacob had kneed me earlier. I tried to grab it without anyone noticing -- thankfully Alice had Bella and Jasper well occupied.

We got to the room and Alice pulled Bella over to the table and set up the laptop; Jasper and I perused the room service menu. I looked around and noticed this wasn't just a room, it was a suite. There was a separate living room and everything. Carlisle must have shelled out quite a bit for these rooms, and I was still wondering why he was being so giving -- especially to me.

"Hey Alice? What do you want to eat?" Jasper asked.

"Just get me some chips or something, I'm not real hungry."

I walked up behind Bella and started rubbing her shoulders, "How about you?"

"I don't know," she said, rolling her head forward as I deepened the massage. "What are you having?"

"They have simosas with mint sauce, how does that sound?"

"That sounds good," she said looking up at me.

"OK," I leaned down and kissed the top of her forehead and turned back to Jasper. We ordered the food and he pulled a cigarette out of his pocket.

"Want one?"

"No, I quit mate."

"Well, then come out on the balcony and watch me smoke one then."

He pushed the glass door open and we walked out.

**BPOV**

Once they closed the door behind them, I turned to Alice.

"I got sick this morning," I said.

"What'd you eat last night?"

"I don't think it was that," I replied. "I think...it may have been morning sickness."

Her eyes widened and she grabbed my hand. "You sure? Haven't you and Edward been safe? Especially after that scare you had in Ireland."

"We have, sort of...but there may have been a night or two when we didn't worry about contraception."

"Oh no, Bella," she cried. "What are you going to do?"

"I don't know, I need to make sure first. I need to go get a pregnancy test."

"We can go tomorrow when your classes are over; I'll go to school with you, how about that?"

"That'd be great actually," I said; I kind of wanted Alice to meet Angela, I think they'll get along very well.

"Then after that, we can go grab one -- or maybe two would be better, just to be safe -- and well see what comes up."

"What comes up when?" Jasper asked as he entered the room; we were so intent on our conversation, we didn't even hear the door open.

"None of your business," Alice said. "Just wedding nonsense."

He held up his hands, "Fine...go on with your wedding nonsense."

But Edward noticed the worried look on my face.

"What's wrong, Love?"

"I'm fine," I said, trying to sound chipper. "Just still a little shaken from earlier, I guess."

He seemed to accept that and kissed my temple gently. "It's over now; you don't have to worry about that Jacob prat ever again."

"I know," I said, hugging him tightly; I heard a slight intake on breath as I did hugged him. "Did I hurt you? Are you bruised? Do you think you broke a rib?"

I went to lift up his shirt; Jacob must have got him in the ribs and injured something. Edward grabbed my hands and held them in front of me.

"I'm fine," he said. "Just a little bruised, nothing's broken, I swear."

"But..." he kissed me to shut me up; and I melted into him. Damn, dirty cheater; he knows I can't resist his kisses.

"Now come on you two," Alice whined. "We need to go over this wedding stuff. You haven't even picked a date yet!"

"Well, I graduate in early May, so how about late May or early June?" I asked, looking at Edward.

"That sounds good, but are you sure you want to be worrying about wedding stuff and dealing with school?"

"That's what she has me for," Alice said, putting her arm around my shoulders.

"Oh really? I thought it was just so she'd have someone around who was shorter than her," Edward teased.

Alice started chasing him around the room with a pillow as Jasper stood back and watched. A knock on the door signaled that room service was there. We ate and watched TV, but I couldn't stop worrying that all I feared was real -- I really am pregnant, and I'm not married or out of school yet.

Later, once Edward and I settled down to sleep -- we were both too tired to do much more than spoon and watch more TV -- I finally noticed how tired my body really was. It has been an emotional couple of days for me; and it was finally catching up.

**Sorry, no lemons in this chapter, just more jibber-jabber. Maybe next time...**


	19. Chapter 19

Let me start by saying that I appreciate all who read and review my story

**Let me start by saying that I appreciate all who read and review my story. However, I wanted to address something – as soon as I mention the possibility of Bella being pregnant, I got a few comments that my story is "similar" to my last one (that's **_**Bridesmaids Revisited**_**, for those who haven't read it).**

**I don't want to sound defensive, but one repeated plot point does not make this the same story – and, trust me, it's not going to be the same situation! **

**OK, sorry :-(**

**Rant over!**

**BPOV**

The smell of something wonderful hit my nose and caused my eyes to spring open. Eggs, sausages, toast and coffee – and a beautiful, half-naked man standing there, ready to serve it to me.

"Am I really awake?" I asked with a tired laugh.

"Yes," he chuckled. "I love it when you're just waking up; if it's possible, you're twice as beautiful then."

I rolled my eyes as I sat up so he could set the serving table across my lap. I was about to dig in, when I noticed I would be eating alone.

"Where's your food?"

"I just figured I'd pick off of your plate," he smirked.

"Over my dead body," I countered. "This smells too good to share."

He pouted and batted his lashes at me; I tried to stare him down and not give in, but it was futile – I can't resist those emerald eyes.

"Fine," I said with a mouthful of toast.

He picked up one of the sausages as I turned the TV on. As we sat watching the news, it finally occurred to me to look at the clock: 5:15 a.m.

"Edward, how long have you been up for?"

"Since about 4:30, I couldn't sleep."

I gazed at him with concern. "It's your side, isn't it? It hurts more than you're letting on."

"I'm fine," he said gently.

"You're not fooling me," I said. "You can just ignore the pain! What if one of your ribs is broken? You have to rest so it heals properly."

"We can't afford that," he said. "If I have to rest, I'm going to miss work. Then how are we going to afford our flat?"

"We already have the down payment and the first month's rent paid for," I said. "We'll be alright."

"What about next month? If I miss work, my paycheck is going to be less and we won't make the rent."

"Then I'll pay it," I said.

"NO!"

"Edward, stop being stubborn! You're going to a doctor and if you have to miss work for any reason, you're going to let me take care of you!"

"Bella…" he began when we heard a knock at the door.

Edward stood to answer it – it was Alice and Jasper.

"You two are already bickering like an old married couple," Jasper joked.

Alice smacked him on the arm before bounding over to sit on the bed with me. She grabbed a piece of my toast and started munching. I suddenly felt sick again, I shot her a worried look.

She seemed to understand and got up to run interference.

"Hey, Jasper, didn't you have something to show Edward in our room?"

"No."

"Yes you did," she gave him a meaningful look. "You said you found something interesting on the telly you wanted to show him."

Jasper began to realize she was trying to get rid of them.

"Yeah, come on Ed. Let's go have a look, shall we?"

They shut the door behind them and I pushed the tray to the side before jumping up to run to the bathroom to puke. I thought they'd never leave.

"Wow," Alice said from the doorway of the bathroom. "I'm really not looking forward to any of this!"

"Ha ha ha, you're hilarious," I said between rounds of vomiting.

"My god," she said with a hint of worry in her voice. "You really are pregnant, aren't you?"

I nodded as I stood to wash my mouth out with the complimentary mouthwash.

"I really don't think there's any denying it, is there?"

"Well, could have been the Indian food you had last night, right?"

"Simosas have never done that to me before," I said.

"Still, we'll get some pregnancy tests before we jump to any conclusions. This could just be a fluke."

"Yeah, could be," I said quietly.

Alice left the room as the boys were coming back in; I turned on the shower and jumped in once the water was warm enough. I stood there, enjoying the warmth and the soothing feeling of the running water when I felt Edward's arm wrap around me.

"I'm sorry, Love. I didn't mean to be so stupid," he whispered in my ear.

"It's OK, I'm sorry too; we'll deal with all of this stuff if and when it happens."

"Agreed," he said as he massaged my hips and started kissing my shoulder.

I was about to protest that I needed to get ready, but we had plenty of time to waste. And I was looking forward to sharing this nice, hot shower with Edward.

I turned toward him and he positioned us so I was between him and the wall. He attacked my mouth and lifted me so I could wrap my legs around his waist. But, I was stopped in my progress when I saw him wince in pain.

"I'm sorry," I cried.

"No, it's fine; it doesn't hurt that bad," he said quickly.

I sighed in frustration. "Let's just take a shower."

"But…"

"Edward, I don't want to fight with you anymore."

I turned back to the water and grabbed the shampoo so I could finish my shower. Edward took the bottle from my hands and squeezed some of the gel onto his hands; he reached up and massaged it into my hair. I leaned back into him and let him work his magic on my scalp. He turned me gently to wash the shampoo from my hair and I looked up into his eyes. His eyes told me just how much he loves me in their beautiful, green depths.

We took turns washing each other before getting out to dry off.

**EPOV**

It was getting to the point where I couldn't deny it anymore; I think I may have broken a rib or two. I knew I had to go see a doctor, but I was afraid to ask Ben for the time off to do so. I haven't been working here for that long, and – most of all – the subject of going to see a doctor would also bring up the subject of how I got these injuries.

I was still on a trial period with the store, and if they found out I got in a fight, it might look bad.

I took behind the register for a few hours before my side became unbearably sore. I could barely stand anymore; and I think Ben noticed.

"Mate, you OK?"

I had to bite the bullet and tell him – I just hoped he wouldn't ask how I got hurt, because I just might have to lie to him.

"I think I may have broken some ribs yesterday," I said.

"Oh my god, how did you do that?"

Crap. "I was roughhousing with a mate, and he got a little rough with me." It wasn't entirely a lie.

"Have you seen the doctor?"

"No, I haven't had time to make an appointment."

He looked to the clock and turned to me, "OK, I can cover for you for the rest of your shift if you want to try and get to the hospital."

"I don't know if they'll see me right now," I said.

"Go to urgent care, they'll see you today," he said. "And if you do have broken ribs, I'd say it's pretty necessary you get treatment right away."

"OK, thanks mate!"

I went to clock out and got on the tube to go to Ormond Street. I got to Urgent Care and started filling out paper work to be admitted.

I sat and waited to be seen, reading a magazine to pass the time.

**BPOV**

Alice followed me around campus all day; out of the two-plus years I've spent here, I've never drawn this much attention. Alice is an attention magnet, even without trying.

And she got along very well with Angela, just as I had been hoping. That was wonderful since I would need both of their help to plan the wedding. Of course, the more I thought of the wedding, the more I thought of an event that may come before it.

Once my last class let out, Alice dragged me to a local pharmacy and we grabbed two pregnancy tests. We paid and I took them into the pharmacy's bathroom.

"OK, here's test number one," I said as I took it out of the cubical.

I set it on the edge of a sink and Alice timed it with her watch; we stood there in silence until Alice said, "OK, one minute."

I took a deep breath and grabbed the stick; I closed my eyes and held it up to my face.

"You gonna do this telepathically?" Alice teased.

I snorted a small laugh and opened my eyes: it was negative. I sighed in relief and nearly fell back into the wall.

"Negative," I said, waving it at Alice.

"Good," she said, equally relieved. "You don't want to try the other one, do you?"

"I'd better, just to make sure," I said. "Plus, we already paid for it, anyway."

I started to take it into the stall, but I realized I didn't have to pee anymore; and I probably wasn't going to be able to force myself to go.

"What's wrong?" Alice asked.

"I don't have to go," I said sheepishly.

"Well, we can get you something to drink and try a little later," she said.

"Let's just take it back to the hotel," I said. "Edward won't be back for a while; we can get rid of it before he gets back."

"OK, let's go."

**EPOV**

My name was finally called and I walked back to an examination room.

"OK, Mr. Cullen; my name is Nurse Stewart, I'll just take your vitals today."

The lady took my blood pressure and everything then made her exit, assuring me that Dr. Jameson would be in shortly.

A short man in a white coat walked in a few moments later.

"Hello Mr.…" he looked at my chart. "Cullen. So, we think we broke a rib or two, eh?"

"Yes, I was roughhousing with my mate and he kneed me in the side."

"Well, boys will be boys, won't you? Let's just give it a look-see, hmmm?"

He helped me lie down while he prodded at my side and asked me where it hurt, and how much it hurt on a scale of 1-10 – most of it was very close to a 10. He helped me back up and we walked back to a room with an x-ray machine.

"Alright," Dr. Jameson said. "Let's get a better look at those ribs."

He set me on a table under the machine and set a couple of lead bibs around the afflicted area.

Afterward, I walked back to the first room as he waited for the x-rays to be developed.

"Well, Mr. Cullen," he said, bursting into the room unannounced, again. "I think you might be right."

He put the x-rays up on a light-up board and showed me what he was talking about: two of my ribs had slight cracks in them, the sight of it made me openly shudder.

"So," he continued, grabbing a prescription pad. "You need plenty of rest and I'll give you a prescription for some Vicodin."

"I do have to work," I said, slightly exasperated.

"Not for the next three to four days," he said. "Just think of it as a long weekend; you can go back on Monday, but if you want those bones to heal, you have to stay off your feet. And even when you're back at work, you have to take it easy."

I took the prescription from him and walked out. I knew he was right; I called Ben.

"Hello?"

"Ben? It's Edward; well I was right, it's two broken ribs."

"Alright, so when can you come back to work?"

"He said I need to stay off my feet until Monday," I said.

"Well, that's not bad," He said. "Look, I'll just pick up the slack around here until you get back. You just get better, OK?"

"Thanks Ben, I owe you big time!"

"Yes, you do," he laughed. "Later, mate."

"Bye."

I hung up and went to fill out my prescription.

**BPOV**

Alice and I grabbed a bottle of diet coke before we jumped on the tube and headed back to the hotel. I slammed the whole soda on the way and by the time we got back I was ready to pee again. I ran into the bathroom and got the stick ready; I set it on the counter and told Alice to start timing.

I wasn't as nervous this time, because the last one had proven me wrong, and I wasn't expecting this test to be any different.

"Time," Alice said.

I walked back into the bathroom and lifted the stick off of the counter: it was positive.

"How did this happen?" I asked as I handed the stick to Alice.

"Maybe you did something wrong on one of them," she said. "Of course, we wouldn't know which one you messed up on unless we get another test."

"We don't have time to get another test before Edward gets home," I said as covered my face with my hands and slumped down on the nearest chair.

"Well, then you may have to just go see a doctor tomorrow," she said.

I looked up at her as tears started to fall; she was right, I had to see a doctor if I really wanted to know. Suddenly, I heard the sound of the door opening and I flew at Alice; I grabbed the stick and took it into the bathroom. I grabbed a laundry bag and threw everything in it; I'd just have to dispose of it later.

"Bella? Where are you, Love?"

Edward called, walking towards the bathroom. I hurried out and shut the door quickly behind me.

"Just needed to use the loo," I said.

"Well," he said warily. "Ben made me go see a doctor today; and I have two cracked ribs."

"Oh no," I cried as I forced him to the bed to lie down. "Oh, my sweet Edward! Don't worry; I'll take care of you. Do you need some ice or anything? How about more pillows to make you more comfortable?"

"I'm fine, Love," he chuckled as he kissed the tip of my nose and kicked his shoes off. "I just need to be off of my feet until Monday. And Ben said he would cover me at work."

"That's great! I'll have to go take Ben a present for being so great to us!"

"That's a good idea, Love."

"OK, so you just lie here and I'll go get you something to eat, alright?"

"Yes, Love."

As Alice and I walked down to a restaurant on the corner, I dialed my doctor's number.

"Yes, I need to make an appointment with Dr. Rooney tomorrow."

**Next day**

My last class let out at 2, but my appointment wasn't until 3:30, so I decided to make a detour to HMV. On the way, I bought some flowers and a box of chocolates; I really don't know what you get a guy when you're saying "Thank you for covering my fiancé's ass," so I got the first thing that came to mind.

I got to the store and was met by a bottle-blond wearing her uniform a bit too tight.

"Is Ben here?"

"Yeah," she sneered. "Hold on."

She went to the back, and a tall man with thick, tattoo covered arms came out.

"I'm Ben, can I help you?"

"Hi, I'm Bella; Edward's fiancé? I just wanted to give you these," I handed him the gifts. "We wanted to thank you for covering for Edward and for – well – just being very flexible with him in every aspect."

He grinned and took the flowers, "Well, well; no one's ever given me flowers and chocolates before."

"Well, if you continue to be so nice, I may bring you a cake next time!"

"Sounds splendid," he chuckled. "Thank you, Bella."

"Thank YOU, I'll see you later," I said, turning to walk out the door. My doctor's office wasn't but a mile away, so I decided to walk.

I felt a presence behind me as I walked, so I started walking faster. But, the person kept up with me until I turned to find a man with blond hair staring at me from the street corner.

"What do you want?" I asked.

"You know Edward?"

"Yes, he's my fiancé," I replied. "What about him?"

"Nothing," he said. "Just tell him James said 'hi.'"

"Whatever," I said; I saw the office in sight and hurried towards it.

Inside, Dr. Rooney greeted me warmly.

"Hello Bella! How are you feeling?"

"OK, but I think I might be pregnant."

"Oh dear," she said. "So, this is not planned, I take it?"

"No; I mean, I'm getting married next summer, but I'm not sure if I'm ready to have a baby right now," I said.

"Have you taken an at-home test?"

"Two; one came out negative and one came out positive."

"It was probably just human error on one of the tests." Just like Alice said. "Well, let's just see if you really are with child."

She gave me a cup to pee in and then I waited in the room for the results. Dr. Rooney came back in my room a while later.

"Well, the results came back positive, Bella; I'm sorry."

I felt my heart start to drop, "This can't be happening."

"When did you have your last period?"

I hadn't thought about that.

"Ummm, I don't think I've had one in a while; but I can't remember when my last one happened. Late June, maybe?"

"Well, then you're probably a little over a month along; let's just have a look, shall we?"

Dr. Rooney gave me an exam; when it was over she said, "Yes, I'd say about a month-and-a-half."

"Great," I said weakly.

"Bella, I'm usually not one to say this but," her voice got low; "you don't have to keep this baby."

"Get an abortion?" I whispered; the thought hadn't crossed my mind, but it had merit.

"If you're not ready, you can terminate the pregnancy," she said. "The other option is carrying it to term, and then giving it up for adoption – or just keeping it altogether, or course."

"We can't afford to take care of a baby," I said. "And I'm still in school…I don't suppose you know a good clinic?"

**EPOV**

I was enjoying my time off, although Jasper had found a job now and had to work, but Alice was keeping me company in Bella's absence. I had to admit, she could be a joy to have around.

She fed me, helped me to the loo (an assignment I was quite embarrassed to give her) and would get me ice when I needed it. But I was relishing the idea of having Bella home to help me.

She came in a bit later than I had expected.

"Where have you been, Love? I've missed you!"

"I went to take something's to Ben to say 'thank you,'" she said.

"Good, how is he?"

"Fine," she said. "I really like him; does he have a girlfriend or something? We could take them out to dinner once you're back on your feet."

"I'm not sure; I'll ask when I'm back at work."

"Great, so have you eaten recently? Do you want me to get you something?"

"No," I said, patting the bed beside me; she walked over and lay down as I wrapped my arms around her. "I just want you."

"Edward," she said. "We can't have sex; you can't do anything too physical for three more days."

I groaned and pouted; she thought for a moment before giving me a wicked grin.

"But, I can do some physical things," she whispered in my ear and licked the shell of it.

The naughty glint in her eyes made them sparkle as she started to unbutton my shirt, kissing her way down as she went. Once my shirt was completely open, she started on my pants; she toyed with the drawstring on my track pants.

"Bella, what are you doing to me?"

"You'll see my love," she said.

Once the tie was undone, she pulled the pants from my hips, along with my boxers. After a moment, my whole torso and pelvic area was exposed to her. She sat back for a moment and stared.

"Edward, you're always so good to me; I just want to make you feel good tonight."

I couldn't really think of anything to say, so I just smiled at her and let her do whatever she wanted to with me.

She slowly grasped my shaft and caressed it gently. I was rock hard already, and it started to twitch. She giggled as she stroked it slowly; she bent over and placed her lips to the tip, kissing it softly. She licked around the head before taking it into her mouth.

"Ah, Bella, that's so good," I said, my voice strained with desire.

She picked up the pace and I could feel my stomach muscles start to tighten in anticipation. I felt a sharp pain and let out a groan that was louder than I had planned it to be.

Bella stopped, "Am I hurting you?" She asked, worried.

"It's fine, don't stop," I said putting my hand behind her neck and guiding her head back down.

"I can't; if this is hurting you, I have to stop!" She pulled my hand off of her neck.

"No! Please, I'm so close; just finish!"

"Edward…"

"Bella Please?! Just keep going, I'm begging you!"

She looked nervous, but continued; a moment later, I came inside of her mouth and let out something between a groan of pleasure and a cry of pain. It hurt like hell, but it felt so good, too.

Bella pulled my boxers and pants back up before going to the bathroom to clean up. She came back out and lay down next to me. She slowly caressed my aching side while we enjoyed the warmth of each other's arms.

"Hey," she said suddenly. "Who's going to help us move if you can't do it? Should I call Carlisle?"

I really didn't want to go that route, "No; I'll call Ben tomorrow."

"No, he's done so much for us; you have to have some other friend who can help. What about that James guy?"

My heart almost stopped; how did she know James?

"How…where did you meet James?"

"He was at HMV when I went to visit Ben; he said to tell you 'hi,'" she said.

"Don't ever talk to him again," I said angrily. "He's not my friend anymore; he's the one who got me into trouble to begin with."

"OK, I'm sorry," she said defensively. "I didn't know."

I calmed down, "No, I'm sorry, Love; I shouldn't have lost it like that – it's not your fault. Just next time you see him, run."

**I'm going to leave it at that for today; just so you can sit and ponder some things: will Bella go through with it? Will Edward's past continue to haunt him? Are Jasper and Alice in England for good?**

**I'm not sure if even I know, yet…**


	20. Chapter 20

WOW

**WOW! So...a lot of opinions on the possible abortion issue! I knew it was going to be hot-button, but DAMN!**

**OK, I won't leave you in suspense any longer.**

BPOV

This room is exceptionally bright.

Really, it's not any brighter than your average waiting room, but today – of all days – it feels like I'm under a spotlight. The florescent lights above me seem to be burning down on me; I took my cardigan off, it was too hot.

I tried to take my mind of off things; I picked up a magazine and flipped through it for about a minute before I found it boring. I looked to a rack beside me and reached for a pamphlet entitled "Unplanned Pregnancy?" I opened it and started reading. It asked a litany of questions, the most important – I felt – being "How do you feel about being pregnant?"

I thought about it; was I so unhappy about getting pregnant? I wasn't sure I had the answer to that. I moved on to the section called "Keeping the baby." It asked if anyone had offered to help with expenses should I choose to keep it; I hadn't thought about that either. Of course the only person I had told is Alice.

That gave me another pause – I was keeping this from Edward; and he had a right to know and be a part of the decision.

Suddenly, a girl who couldn't have been any older than 15 or 16 sat down next to me with what I assumed was her boyfriend. He sat with her and held her hand as they waited to be called, and another thought hit me: I'm an adult. This girl couldn't possibly handle taking care of a child, because she's still really a child herself; but I've been taking care of myself for a while now.

I couldn't justify this decision to myself, so I stood up and walked out without any further hesitation.

EPOV

As much as I had enjoyed staying in the hotel, it was nice to be back in the guest house – although, it would only be for the day; we move into our new flat tomorrow. I had decided to eat dirt and ask Carlisle if he would help, and he was surprisingly nice about it – gung ho, even. Emmett said he would help as well, so now I felt really bad about being completely useless; my 12-year-old cousin was going to help move my stuff while I sit on a couch.

But, it really couldn't be helped.

Bella had said not to expect her back until about 5 p.m., something about a study group after her last class; though, what kind of people make study groups this early in the school year? I was napping on the couch when I heard the door open, I knew I hadn't been asleep that long – Bella was home early.

"Love? Is that you?" I asked, not able to turn toward the door in my current position.

"Yes," she said, walking to my side and crouching down to get at eye level with me. She had a sad look on her face.

"What's wrong? What happened?" I tried to reach up to her face, but my ribs wouldn't let me turn enough to make it.

She sat on the tight space left on the edge of the couch and gently rubbed my side. "Don't hurt yourself, baby. We don't need you off your feet any more than necessary."

"But, something's wrong, I can tell," he said. "You look sad."

"Not sad so much as sorry, I have something to tell you and I should have told you sooner," she said; she was still scaring me.

"What?"

She looked down at her hands – a classic Bella hesitation move – before looking back up at me with tears in her eyes.

"I'm pregnant."

"You are? How long have you known?"

"A couple of days," she said as the tears slid down her cheeks. "But, that's not all."

My heart almost stopped; what could be more pressing than being pregnant?

"What?" I asked, not sure I really wanted to know.

"I went somewhere today," she said. "I told you I had a study group, but that was a lie; I went to a clinic...an abortion clinic...but I couldn't go through with it."

"You were going to get rid of it without telling me?" I was trying to stay calm, but this wasn't like Bella at all. How could she even think about killing our baby?

"I'm so sorry!" She was bawling uncontrollably now. "I don't know what I was thinking! I was scared! I thought we wouldn't be able to take care of a baby so I thought it would just be best if I got rid of it and not tell anyone! Then you wouldn't have to worry about anything..."

"Bella...I...I don't know what to say right now," I said. I was upset that she wasn't going to tell me, but I wanted to comfort her at the same time. She was so vulnerable and fragile, and I hate seeing my angel in this state.

"You don't have to say anything," she said. "I'll understand if you want to be alone right now."

She started to get up to leave, but I grabbed her hand – despite the pain that it caused in my side.

"No, neither one of us should be alone right now," I said, pulling her back down until she settled on my chest. My ribs were screaming at me to get the weight of Bella off of me, but I would hold her until she stopped crying. I cried right along with her.

"Please forgive me," she begged. "I love you so much; I never wanted to hurt you! It was so stupid..."

"Shhhh," I soothed as I tried to hold back my remaining tears. "Love, I'd forgive you anything. I'm just glad you didn't go through with it."

We lay like that for at least another hour.

BPOV

I was afraid I would lose him – that he would hear my confession of almost killing our unborn baby and tell me he never wanted to see me again. But I had to tell him, it was time I was completely honest about the situation.

We sat and cried together, and I felt a little bit better; that is until I remembered the biggest obstacle we had to overcome: taking care of a baby. I was in the kitchen making dinner, debating whether I should bring up this concern, or wait for another time? I decided to just get everything out in the open right now.

I set the serving tray over Edward with his plate of food on it, and sat myself on the coffee table near him. I couldn't think of how to open up the conversation – and he sensed my dilemma.

"Love?" His eyes were searching mine, trying to determine if this would be more bad news.

"It's just, how are we going to take care of a baby?"

He thought about it, "We have, what, 8 or 7 months to figure it out, right? We don't have to think about that right now."

He put a reassuring hand on my knee; I knew he was right. But, in the back of my mind, I was already pondering how I could possibly ask Carlisle for help. It would be tough, but I think he may be willing; he's helped me so much already, and we would be family soon. But, would I tell Edward? I couldn't bear keeping anymore lies from him, but I didn't think he'd want to go to Carlisle for help. And I really think its help were going to need eventually.

"So," he said, giving me his trademark smirk. "That's really why you were sick the other day, wasn't it?"

"Yes," I said before popping a carrot into my mouth. "And that's why Alice and Jasper hustled you out of our room the other morning; so I could run to the bathroom."

He chuckled, "Wow, you went through a lot of trouble; was it worth it?"

"No," I said sadly.

"Maybe...we should think about changing the date of the wedding," he said. "Do it earlier."

"Why?"

"Bella, I know you; I know one of the things that's bothering you is the fact that you're pregnant but not married. So, we should move it so we get married before your due date; that way at least the actual birth won't be out of wedlock."

He was right again. I'm not the most traditional person in the world, but I did want to be married before having kids.

"Well, Dr. Rooney said I'm due sometime in April – how about February?"

"I was thinking more like December," he said. "We could do it during the holidays, and that way more people can come – like your parents."

"Who said I wanted my parents to come?"

He gave me knowing glance, "Come on, Bella; you at least want your father there."

I do, actually. That's when another thought hit me; we hadn't had our big family dinner yet. Edward seemed to think of it at the exact same moment.

"Bella, hand me my phone so I can call my mum," he said.

I grabbed it from the table next to me and placed it in his hand; I went to my purse and grabbed mine, ready to let Charlie and Renee know when we would be meeting. I was surprised they hadn't called me about it yet.

Edward chatted with his mother then flipped his phone shut, "Next Monday, 7 p.m. at my mum's."

"Alright," I said, dialing Charlie's number.

"Hello?"

"Dad, sorry I haven't called you in a while, but we finally got a hold of Edward's mom and set a date for our dinner," I said. "It'll be Monday at 7."

"OK, sounds good, where does she live?"

"Here, I'll have Edward give you the directions."

I handed the phone to Edward while I gathered our plates and took them back into the kitchen; I walked back to find him lying there with his eyes closed. I moved to the other end of the couch and lifted his legs before settling myself under them. I massaged his calves while we both just sat in silence.

EPOV

I really hated playing the spectator.

I sat on the couch and watched as Bella, Jasper, Alice, Carlisle and Emmett removed our possessions from the guest house. Most people might relish the fact that they don't have to lift a finger in the moving process, but I just felt like a lazy sod – and that wasn't the image I wanted to project anymore.

Carlisle and Jasper began lifting the gigantic flat screen telly that resided in the house, but Bella interjected.

"Carlisle, that's not ours, that's yours," she said.

"No, it's yours now," Carlisle responded. "Consider it a housewarming gift."

"Carlisle, we can't accept that." I love Bella, but I wanted more than anything to tell her to shut up right now.

"You're taking it, and that's final," Carlisle said; I've never loved him more than at this very moment. Bella relented and started taking the entertainment center apart for the telly to sit on in our new flat.

Our new flat – I liked the sound of it. Mine and Bella's flat, our home, the place where we would be living when we get married and the place where we would raise our…

Oh my god, we hadn't thought about that! The baby! Our flat was one bedroom, and I don't think it had any room to convert something into a nursery.

I calmed down so Bella wouldn't notice my worry, she had enough on her plate right now. And besides, we'd figure it out…somehow.

All that was left in the house was the couch I was laying on; Carlisle gave us everything furnishing – most of which he stealthily snuck past Bella so she wouldn't pitch a fit. Alice and Bella came over and helped me out to the car while Carlisle, Jasper and Emmett carried the couch into the moving truck.

Carlisle's SUV was parked close to the house, I noticed a pillow and blanket in the very back seat.

"What's that for?" I asked.

"I want you to be as comfortable as possible," Bella said as she and Alice helped me into the seat.

Once I was rested against the pillow, I felt a presence near my feet: Rosalie had jumped in the back with me.

"How do you feel, Edward?" She said, she was holding a teddy bear that was almost the same size as her.

"I'm fine, Rosie," I smiled at her. "It doesn't hurt much anymore."

"I got this for you," she said, handing me the bear. "His name is Teddy and he'll make you feel better."

I chuckled; I hadn't had a stuffed bear since I was about Rosie's age. "Thank you, sweetheart."

Carlisle and Emmett jumped into the two front seats, "Comfortable Edward?"

"Yeah," I said. "But where's Bella?"

Suddenly, the back gate opened and Bella jumped into the back; she sat behind me and stroked my head softly.

"Everybody ready?" Carlisle called.

"Yes," we all said in unison.

We got to the complex and everybody started piling things out of the truck; I sat in the car and let Rosie entertain me. She read to me from a storybook, and I found myself nodding off after a while. I woke to the feel of soft lips against my forehead; I opened my eyes and saw my angel there watching me sleep.

"Come on, sleepyhead; everything's ready."

Jasper helped Bella carry me this time; they got me up to the lift while Alice and Carlisle went to take the truck back to the rental place. Rosie tagged along with us; she was excited to see our new flat.

"Oh Bella! Will you let me help you decorate it? Please?"

"We'll see, sweetie," Bella said.

The lift stopped at the fourth floor and we got out; I was glad our flat was located just across the hall from the lift. Jasper and Bella got me back on the couch; Bella put some pillows behind my head and Rosie put a blanket over me. I didn't really need it, but it was sweet of her to do it anyway.

Jasper and Bella were setting up the telly and the DVD player.

"Can you hand me that wire please, Bella?" Jasper asked from behind the telly.

Bella handed him the wire and turned to me; she looked especially tired.

"Are you alright, Love?" I asked.

"I'm fine," she said. "I just haven't had to do this much physical activity in awhile."

Jasper chuckled from his position near the wall, connecting the telly to the DVD. But I knew better, her pregnancy was making her particularly tired.

BPOV

Jasper and I got the TV set up and I went to sit down my Edward's feet as Jas flipped the TV on. We don't have any channels yet, but we could still watch some DVDs.

A few minutes later, Carlisle and Alice were knocking on the door.

"It's open!" I yelled.

Alice burst in, "Who's hungry?" She was brandishing a bag of what smelled like Chinese take-away.

"And," Carlisle added, "We got some entertainment for tonight."

We had decided to all sit and have dinner together and watch some DVDs; I got up and made Edward a plate of food.

"Hey babe, do you want some egg rolls?"

"Yes, Love; thank you."

I took him a plate of lo mein and some rolls before returning to get something for myself. I wasn't particularly hungry – I've noticed that over the past couple of weeks. But if I didn't take anything, it would raise suspicion early. We wanted to tell everybody once we had eaten and were settled.

Emmett and Jasper went back for seconds in record time.

"Do you want more?" I asked Edward.

"No thank you, angel," he said. "But, I think it's time for my pain meds."

I kissed him gently before I went to my purse and pulled out the bottle of Vicodin. I took out two and brought them to him, he put them in his mouth as I handed him his glass and he downed them.

Once Emmett and Jasper had finished and Alice and I got everything cleared, I walked to the front of the room to get everyone's attention. I looked to Alice and Edward, who gave me encouraging looks.

"Carlisle, everybody; Edward and I have some news," I said; might as well dive in. "We're going to have a baby."

"You're pregnant?" Rosie cried as she jumped up and threw her arms around my waist.

Emmett smiled while Jasper slapped Edward on the back gently. "Congrats, mate!"

Carlisle was quiet; he looked as though he was searching for the right words.

"This wasn't planned, I take it?" He asked.

"No," I said quietly. "It was an accident, so to speak, but we're going to keep it."

"And, you two think you're ready for this?"

I looked at Edward who nodded at me, "Yes, we are."

Carlisle shook his head and chuckled slightly; he looked back between me and Edward a couple of times.

"OK," he said, not really convinced. "I'm here if you need me."

"We won't," Edward said a tad too defensively. I was afraid that's how they both would react. These Cullen mean are too stubborn for their own good.

"What are you going to name it?" Rosie asked still attached to my side.

"I don't know," I told her. "We have to think about it some more."

"Well!" Jasper said, walking towards the TV – I think he could sense that I didn't want to talk about the baby anymore. "How about a movie, eh?"

Monday night

Edward was back on his feet and we were on our way to dinner with our parents.

"Are you ready for this?" I asked.

"Absolutely," he replied. "They have to meet eventually."

"Yes, but now we have more news – much of which they may not like."

"I know," he said. "But, it's not for them decide these things; this is our life."

I smiled at him, but I was still nervous; Renee and Charlie are going to freak.

We beat my parents to Edward's mom's house and she greeted us at the door exuberantly.

"Hello you two! Come in, come in!" She said, pulling me into a big hug. "Oh, there she is! My new daughter! How are you, Love?"

"I'm good Ms. Cullen, how are you?"  
"Ms. Cullen? I'm your family, duckie! You can call me Mum!"

"She has a mum," Edward reminded her.

"Well, then how about mummy Jessica?"

"Actually," I said. "Mum's just fine; Renee won't mind, she probably won't even notice."

As if on cue, there was a knock at the door; Ms. Cullen opened it to find my parents there.

"Hello, you must be the Swans; I'm Jessica Cullen, Edward's mum," she said, offering her hand. Charlie shook it and introduced himself, but Renee ignored it and walked into the house. She didn't look pleased – Renee the snob was about to rear her ugly head, I just knew it.

Ms. Cullen lives on the East End of London, and refuses to let Carlisle give her any of his money. Her house is lovely but modest; and Renee doesn't do modest.

"Hi Renee," I said, giving her a quick hug.

"Hello darling," she said dramatically; she was dressed like she was going to meet the queen.

"Hey Bells," Charlie said, pulling me in for a big hug.

"Hi Dad."

"Well now," Ms. Cullen said. "Let's eat."

"Smells good, Jessica," Charlie said.

"Thank you, Charlie."

We sat around the table and enjoyed a lovely dinner; Charlie chatted politely with Ms. Cullen while Renee sat and sipped some wine. I gave her an exasperated look and Edward squeezed my hand under the table.

"So," Renee finally said. "Have you two set a date for the wedding? You said sometime next summer, right?"

"Actually," Edward said. "We were thinking of having it in December."

"So soon?" Ms. Cullen asked. "Why the change? It won't give us much time to prepare."

"Well, I have two friends helping me and we don't want anything big," I said. "And, we got some news that made us feel a change was necessary."

"What?" Charlie asked.

Edward and I looked at each other.

"OH MY GOD!" Renee said. "You're pregnant, aren't you?"

Of course Renee would figure it out; sometimes I really hated her.

"Yes," I said defiantly. "I'm due in April."

Charlie was stunned into silence – though he managed a menacing glare at Edward – while Ms. Cullen took the news the best.

"Well, it wasn't what you two had planned, but we'll make the best of it, won't we?"

"Yes, Mum, we will," Edward said smiling at his mother.

Renee stood up then, "Don't be so naïve. These two can't possibly take care of a baby."

"Why not?" I asked. "I'm the same age you were when you got knocked up!"

She glared at me, "And look how that turned out! I ended up with a husband I never wanted and one ungrateful bitch of a daughter."

"Renee! Shut up!" Charlie yelled. "Our daughter turned out to be a wonderful human being. And I think she's going to be a great mother; even if I do wish she would have waited."

Renee let out an evil cackle, "Well, let's see what happens once this baby starts to drive you insane and you can't handle it anymore! Don't come crying to me saying you made a mistake then, because I'm done."

She stormed out in typical Renee fashion.

Ms. Cullen put a hand on mine, "You won't need her help; I'll be here whenever you need me."

After dessert, we said our goodbyes to Edward's mum and caught a cab with Charlie.

"I'm leaving tomorrow," he said. "But, I'll be waiting for my wedding invitation in the mail. I love you, Bells."

I hugged him tightly, "I love you too, dad."

**Come on! You knew I wasn't going to let her do it! (I'm pro-choice, not pro-death!)**

**But, I may be throwing a few wrenches into the works in upcoming chapters, some sad plots may be on the horizon…**


	21. Chapter 21

BPOV

**OK, this is a bit of a sad one**

**You have been warned**

BPOV Late September

Angela and I sat in class trying to work on an assignment; but she was too distracted to focus – which seemed to be the case with both of us lately.

"So," she said. "If the baby's a girl, what do you want to name it?"

"I haven't really thought about it," I admitted. "Actually, I'm kind of hoping it's a boy."

"Why?"

"I don't know, maybe it's because I haven't had a good relationship with my mother and wonder if I may not be able to connect with a daughter."

"I'm sure you'll connect with your child not matter what sex it is," Angela said.

I had to nod at that, I refused to be like Renee.

Suddenly, I felt a pain in my lower abdomen; this was my third one of the day, but I had been able to ignore them pretty well. I put my hand on my stomach until the cramp disappeared.

"Are you OK?" Angela asked.

"Yeah, just had something that felt like a cramp."

Angela gave me a worried look, but didn't press further. That's one thing I love about her, she seems to be able to sense when I don't want to talk about something.

The professor let our class out a few minutes early and I said goodbye to Angela; I had decided to surprise Edward at work today.

I hopped on the tube and headed to HMV when another cramp hit me, this one almost made me double over in pain. A lady next to me asked if I was alright.

"Fine, just a cramp," I said.

I jumped off at the station and made my way to see Edward, I walked in and went to the register to see a woman I assumed was this Tanya person sitting at the counter reading a magazine. I cleared my throat to get her attention.

"What?" She said, giving me a bored look.

"Is Edward around?"

"Who wants to know?"

"His fiancé."

She sneered at me, but the look melted into an evil smile when what I assumed was an idea seemed to come to her.

"He didn't say he had a girlfriend." Yep, this had to be the Tanya that Edward told me about.

"Oh, I'm sure he has mentioned me from time to time," I said. "He's mentioned you in great detail, Tanya."

"Really? That's kind of embarrassing," she said. "He hasn't told you about the time he grabbed my arse in the back room, has he?"

"Actually, it was YOU who grabbed HIS BALLS, you slut!"

"Slut? I'm not the one whose boyfriend is so dissatisfied he hits on his co-workers constantly."

"Tanya!" It was Ben coming up from the back. "Is that any way to talk to a customer?"

"She's not a customer! She's Edward's sodding girlfriend."

"I think you mean fiancé," Ben said. "Hey Bella, I'll go get Eddie for you."

"Thanks Ben," I smiled back at him before giving Tanya a nice, smug look.

"So, when are you two getting married?" Tanya asked, pretending to care.

"December."

"Oh damn! I won't be able to come, I'll be in Majorca with my boyfriend," she said.

I rolled my eyes, "oh damn, just when I was going to make you a bridesmaid."

"Really?"

"Sarcasm is a foreign language to you, isn't it?"

Just then, Edward walked up behind me.

"Hello my angel," he said, putting his arms around my waist. I turned and put my arms around his neck so I could pull him in for a kiss. "Somebody's been missing me."

"Always," I said. "I'm not disturbing you, am I? Do you have to get back to work?"

"No," Ben answered for him. "You two can go talk for a bit, Tanya and I will cover things."

"What?" Tanya whined; Ben shot her a death glare.

"Thanks Ben," Edward said.

We walked to where there were chairs in the classical music section. I was going to sit in the seat next to his, but Edward sat and pulled me into his lap.

"Dork," I chided.

"You love it," he replied.

I kissed the tip of his nose before settling my head on his shoulder as we sat and held each other in the chair. I love moments like this, when there doesn't need to be anything communicated verbally between us; we just know how ardently one loves the other.

Suddenly, I got another cramp.

"Ow," I said, I didn't want to make a big deal out of this, but they were getting worse.

"Love? What's wrong?" He put his hand over mine on my lower stomach.

"I've been feeling pains in my stomach all day," I said.

"You should go to the doctor," he said worriedly picking me up and taking me towards the door.

"No, it's fine! It's probably nothing," I said.

"Well, just to make sure it's nothing, I'm taking you to the doctor," he said. "Because if it's not nothing, then the baby may be in danger."

"OK," I said as we walked past the register.

"Ben, Bella is having pains in her stomach, I really need to get her to a doctor," Edward said.

"OK, of course, go immediately," Ben said. "You don't think it's the baby, do you?"

"We hope not," Edward said as he gently pushed me through the front doors.

EPOV

I got Bella out to the nearest cab and it took us to Whittington Hospital; we walked in through the urgent care unit and I got the paper work for Bella. She sat in a chair near the exit as I was waiting at the front desk, and when I turned back to make sure she was OK, she had slumped out of the chair onto the floor – she was grabbing her stomach in pain again.

"BELLA!" I cried running to her; I scooped her up into my arms and held her close. "NO! BELLA! HOLD ON!! PLEASE!? SOMEBODY HELP!!"

My calls brought a troupe of nurses to our side.

"Come on, let's get her to emergency," one said.

I picked her up and rushed after the nurses who led me to an emergency room. Once we were in there, I placed her on the bed and was immediately hustled out the door by nurses and doctors who were trying to get at Bella. I would have protested being kicked out of the room, but I was too numb from fear.

I sat in the waiting room and rocked myself back and forth gently. This can't be happening, Bella has to be alright! We can't lose the baby now. I pulled out my phone and called Mum.

"Hello Love," he said. "How are you?"

"Mum?" I said as the tears started to fall. "Something's wrong with Bella! We're at Whittington; can you make it here?"

"Of course, Edward; I'll be there shortly."

She hung up and I put my phone away and continued to wait; I started rocking myself again. This was taking too long—one of these doctors just needed to show up in his little, white lab coat and tell me that Bella was alright. But, none of them would. Mum got there a few minutes later.

"Have you heard anything yet?" She asked as she pulled me into a hug.

"No; there all still in there."

"Well, it'll be alright; you'll see."

She sat with me and we waited for what seemed like hours; I looked at my phone and saw that it had only been an hour since I brought Bella in—it couldn't have been. Mom was about to turn to me to say something when a doctor finally came out.

"Are you Edward?"

"Yes," I said, jumping out of my seat. "How's Bella? What's wrong with her?"

He held his hands up, "calm down, son; Bella is fine, she's going to be OK."

"And the baby?"

His face became grim, "There...there was nothing we could do, I'm afraid. It was a miscarriage; it's not uncommon and it won't affect her ability to have children in the future."

I felt myself fall to my knees as Mum threw her arms around me for comfort.

"Shhhhh," she soothed. "Everything is going to be OK; it's OK, Edward...it just wasn't the right time...it's OK, my love..."

Mum continued to calm me until I got all of the tears out; after a good 15 minutes, I stood back up. "Can I see her?"

"Yes," the doctor said. "One person at a time."

I nodded and looked to Mum.

"Go ahead," she said. "I'm not going anywhere."

I slowly made my way into the room to find Bella hooked up to an IV; her eyes were closed, she looked to peaceful.

"Angel? Are you asleep?"

She opened one eye and looked at me; as she opened the other, her lip started to quiver. "Edward, is it really true? Did I lose the baby?"

"No Love, you didn't lose it," I said. "It just wasn't the right time for us to have a baby, that's all."

That didn't seem to comfort her; she started bawling as she covered her face with her hands. "No! I lost it! It was my fault!"

She looked to the ceiling as though she were trying to see something past it, "It's because I was thinking of getting rid of it, wasn't it?"

"Love, who are you talking to?"

"No one," she said. "I just remembered, there's no one there; no one listening."

"Love, look at me," I said walking to her side and taking her face in my hands. "You did nothing wrong. No one is punishing you; not God, not anybody. Things like this just happen sometimes."

She closed her eyes as more tears fell, "But, why me? Why now? I was just getting used to the idea of being pregnant; I actually really wanted this baby."

"I know you did, Love; I did too, but now we're going to have to accept the fact that it's gone," I said. "And, you know what? We can try again when we're more ready—after we're married and settled—OK?"

She nodded and I bent down to kiss her lips gently; I heard the door open and Mum stuck her head in, "Everything OK in here?"

"Fine," I said as I stroked Bella's face softly, her eyes were starting to get heavy.

"I don't suppose I could talk to Bella quickly, could I? Are you OK to chat for a moment, Love?" Mum asked.

Bella opened her eyes and nodded at Mum, I gave her one final kiss before walking out the door.

BPOV

Edward left me alone with his mom, and I wondered what she had to say that was so important. She sat in the chair beside my bed and took my hand in hers.

"Quite an ordeal today, hmm?"

I nodded at the understatement; she gave me a sad smile.

"Probably feeling sad, hmmm? Feeling like you lost something precious? But, most of all, probably feeling like a bit of a failure? Like you did something wrong, hmmm?"

I thought about this and nodded sadly: I did feel like a failure; a loser, even. Ms. Cullen looked to the door swiftly then back at me, "You want to know something? And you have to promise not to tell Edward."

I nodded and she continued, "I had a miscarriage when I was a little older than you. I got pregnant two years before I had Edward, and I lost the baby. Oh, I cried and cried, I'm sure; I felt like I'd never be good enough to be a mother. Until I had Edward and, you know what? I forgot all about that day; I've almost no memory of it, because it didn't really matter. And it didn't mean that I wasn't good enough or that I did something wrong or evil, it was just not meant to be."

I felt a tear slide down my cheek as Mum confessed this to me; I'd never felt closer to another woman than I did at this moment. I was so glad she would soon be my mother-in-law.

"Now," she said, patting my hand and standing up. "You must be famished! Let's see if we can get you something to eat, hmmm?"

I was forced to stay at the hospital overnight for observation; I woke the next morning to find Edward sleeping in what looked like an uncomfortable position in the chair next to me. I smiled and kissed him on the lips to wake him.

"Morning angel," he said.

"Morning, my knight in shining armor; I can't believe you slept like that all night," I said in wonderment.

"It's not so bad; plus I was not going to go back to the flat and leaving you here alone," he said. "So, I'll take this option if I have to."

"Dork," I said.

"You love it," he replied.

I was able to sign out of the hospital at noon; Alice, Jasper and Mum were there for moral support. They had gifts of flowers and stuffed animals waiting for me when Edward wheeled me out of the hospital in the wheelchair, and then they took me out to my favorite lunch spot. It occurred to me then, not only had I never had a relationship with Renee like I do with Mum, but I've never had friends as loyal as Alice and Jasper before.

Edward got me back home and we sat on the couch the rest of the day just talking. Edward kept giving me worried glances, and I just knew he was wanting to ask me something.

"Edward? What's wrong?"

"Are you sure you're alright, Love? This may take you sometime to get over – you may never get over it, in fact – but, I want you to know you can talk to me anytime you need to."

I smiled, "I'm fine; I'm not anywhere near the same as I was before; but I think I'll eventually be able to put this behind me, and knowing that feels really good."

"I love you."

"I love you more," I replied reaching over to kiss him.

We sat on the couch for a while longer before heading to the bathroom; we sat in the bathtub together for a while then got out so Edward could make me dinner. While he cooked, I put on my iPod; I just didn't expect it to go to this song:

_She's addicted to nicotine patches  
She's addicted to nicotine patches  
She's afraid of the light in the dark  
6:58 are you sure where my spark is  
Here  
Here  
Here_

She's convinced she could hold back a glacier  
But she couldn't keep Baby alive  
Doubting if there's a woman in there somewhere  
Here

You say you don't want it again  
And again but you don't really mean it  
You say you don't want it  
This circus we're in  
But you don't you don't really mean it  
You don't really mean it  
if the Divine master plan is perfection  
Maybe next I'll give Judas a try  
Trusting my soul to the ice cream assassin  
Here

You say you don't want it again  
And again but you don't really mean it  
You say you don't want it  
This cirucs we're in  
But you don't you don't really mean it  
You don't really mean it  
How may fates turn around in the overtime  
Ballerinas that have fins that you'll never find  
You thought that you were the bomb yeah  
Well so did I  
Say you don't want it  
Say you don't want it  
Say you don't want it again  
And again but you don't really mean it  
Say you don't want it  
This circus we're in  
But you don't you don't really mean it  
You don't really mean it

She's addicted to nicotine patches  
She's afraid of the light in the dark  
6:58 are you sure where my spark is  
Here

Once the song ended, I finally realized I had rivers of tears running down my cheeks. I knew everyone was right – that I would be OK with this some day. But, today is not that day.

I felt one of my ear buds being removed, "Love? Dinner's ready."

I turned to look at him, wiping my eyes as I did so.

"What's wrong?"

"Sad song," I said. We ate in silence.

**So, I guess I worried some of you by saying sad stuff is coming up, but this is the extent of it, so you can rest easy now. I'm going to try and move things along a bit; the wedding and such will be up in the next few chapters.**

**P.S. The lyrics are to "Spark" by Tori Amos**


	22. Chapter 22

BPOV Thanks for sticking through the sadness with me. BPOV Late November

I never could have imagined how much of a blessing this wedding would be.

Edward and I decided to keep the date in December – December 20th, to be exact – so Alice and I were now in full-on planning mode.

And I desperately needed distractions.

I was slowly getting better, I was never in a deep depression but the miscarriage affected me pretty badly. October was particularly bad, considering I was dealing with the recent event and the changing of the season.

Now, Alice was keeping my mind occupied with talk of flowers and bridesmaids dresses. Every time she noticed I was thinking about…that thing…she started blathering about changing the menu or something nice and frivolous.

Today was an especially distracting day – I was getting a second gown fitting. The first time, my dress was far too long and the sash was the wrong color – purple instead of dark red. That was one good thing about getting married in the winter, I could use darker colors; I prefer darker colors to the awful pastels usually found at weddings.

Alice, Mum and I walked into the shop and were greeted by Stella, the manager.

"Hello Bella, we've got your dress ready and waiting," she said.

"Thanks Stella."

I was led to a fitting room and Stella passed the dress to me; I slipped it on and called Alice into the room to help me zip it up. I walked out to the full-length mirrors and gazed at my reflection – I can't remember the last time I honestly felt beautiful, but this moment definitely topped that by miles.

Alice stood behind me and beamed, "Bella! It's amazing! Edward's going to pass out at the alter!"

Mum just smiled, and I swear I could see a tear roll down her cheek that she tried to discreetly wipe away. I stepped down off of the pedestal and approached her, "Mum, what do you think?"

"It's so beautiful…you're beautiful. I couldn't think of a better woman for my Edward; you're truly amazing, Love."

"I love you, Mum."

"I love you too, Bella." She kissed my cheek and I pulled her in for a hug.

"Oh stop!! You two are making me cry!" Alice squealed.

We both laughed and broke apart; Stella handed me and Mum tissues.

"So, I take it we are happy with the dress?" Stella asked.

"Beyond happy," I said.

EPOV

Even though Bella seemed to be much happier these days, I could still see glints of sadness in her eyes from time to time. I knew I needed to make a grand gesture to show her that nothing has changed – I still loved her as much as ever.

In fact, I possibly loved her more than before. Even if we did have a set back with the miscarriage, I still knew that she wanted to have a family with me – and that was the most important thing of all.

I decided to ask for Alice's help in devising a plan for the ultimate, romantic wedding night for Bella. After the miscarriage, she hasn't felt like being intimate – I couldn't really blame her, she's still a bit afraid – and I knew I needed a delicate touch when it came to coaxing her back into the world of sensuality.

"So…you have come to me to ask me a favor?" Alice was getting all Godfather on me.

"Yes, you're the only girl besides Bella and my mum that I'm comfortable enough to talk to about this stuff," I said.

She smirked, "Typical male. Anyway, what do you have in mind?"

"Well, I've been saving up and I want to book us into a really nice hotel – this has to be perfect because we can't afford to go on a honeymoon."

"OK," she said, thinking. "Well, you probably want something better than the whole 'rose pedals on the bed, strawberries and champagne' cliché, right?"

"Well," I said. "I do now."

She chuckled, "Well, we need some inspiration. Do you remember the first time you met Bella?"

"Yeah, at Heathrow; not terribly romantic."

"Well, what happened?"

"We got on a plane; we sat by each other and talked about what a wanker Pete Doherty is; and we were coincidentally eating the same brand of chocolate biscuits…" I trailed off as I thought about that day.

"What did you think of her?" Alice asked.

"She had…well, has…the most beautiful brown eyes I've ever seen," I said. "She was beautiful, without even trying – she didn't wear any makeup and she didn't try to put herself in some revealing outfit. She just seemed to know who she is."

Alice was smiling, "Well, I think I can work with all of that."

BPOV

Friday, December 12

My wedding is a little over a week away – and the nerves haven't set in yet.

The only thing that's worrying me at this point is the Bachelorette party that Alice is throwing for me tomorrow. I decided – against my better judgment – to just let her do whatever she wanted for the occasion. Of course, I made one stipulation that there would be no naked men involved in our evening.

Flashback

"_Awww, you're no fun," Alice whined when I nixed any and all nudity._

"_That still leaves you with a plethora of other options," I said. "Think of something else."_

"_Yeah, that leaves us with going out to dinner then out dancing – that's so lame," she said._

"_Well, we could go somewhere," I said. "I'm not opposed to making a weekend trip to, say, Paris or something."_

_Alice perked up at that thought, "Yeah! Paris…or how about Glasgow? We won't have to cross any bodies of water that way."_

"_Sounds good," I said. "We could stay overnight at a cheap motel and just spend the weekend without any boys."_

"_Oh, I like this idea," Alice said evilly. "I'm going to make the reservations now."_

We were leaving at 8 a.m. the next morning to get up to Glasgow as soon as possible; it was a six hour journey by train. There was me, Alice, Angela and some friends from school. Alice had been able to get us a deal where we only had to pay £60 each, both ways. What can I say? Alice just has a way with people.

We got to Glasgow just after 2 p.m. and checked into our hotel so we could get ready for what I'm sure will be a night I'll never forget – or never remember.

EPOV

I was uneasy all day.

Not just because I didn't trust Jasper to stick to the no-strippers rule; but Bella would be 400 miles away from me until tomorrow night. I was fairly despondent at this point.

"Ed! Come on, mate; she'll be fine! Just focus on the fun you'll have tonight, I've got some great things planned!" Jasper said.

"Nothing's fun without Bella," I countered.

Jasper made the sound of a whip cracking and I punched him in the shoulder. So what if I'm whipped? I have the most beautiful woman in the world.

As 8 p.m. drew near, I was starting to loosen up; it didn't hurt that Jasper had, predictably, slipped some whiskey into my coke earlier.

We met some mates out for dinner before heading to King's Head.

"I thought you said this was going to be 'great,'" I said to Jasper as we entered. "We could come here any night."

"Just shut up and have fun, will you?"

I relented and followed him to the bar. We ordered some beers and found a booth to sit at while we watched people dance. I would probably need one or two more beers before I got up the nerve to get on the dance floor.

My mates, however, did not need any liquid courage at all. They were up there, grinding against the first bird each got his hands on.

I was pretty disgusted with my sex at the moment.

"Hey, want to dance?"

This voice was eerily, creepily familiar – Tanya.

I should have known, she said she likes to come here. Damn Jasper, of all the places we could have come to tonight.

BPOV

I was putting on my makeup in the hotel bathroom when Alice walked in; she sneered at my choice of outfit.

"Really? You're going to wear that tonight?"

"Yes."

"No, as your best friend, I refuse to let you parade around like our chaperone tonight! You are the guest of honor, the main event! You need to look the most fabulous of all!"

I looked down at my dark jeans and red, button up top and saw nothing wrong with it; but far be it for me to disagree with Guru Alice. She left the bathroom and returned with a dark blue piece of fabric.

"You're kidding, right?" I asked as I held the blue halter up to myself in the mirror.

"Alice! It's December in Scotland! It's freakin' freezing outside!"

"You wear a jacket outside, but take it off in the club," she said as if she were talking to a six-year-old.

"I hate doing that," I whined.

"Yes, well you have no other option! You're not going out in that shirt, I won't allow it!"

"Fine," I said as I started unbuttoning the red top. I pulled the blue halter over my head and went back into the room to look for a suitable strapless bra.

"Just don't wear a bra," Alice suggested.

"Nuh-uh!" I said. "I may be going along with this insane halter top idea, but I am having support tonight, girl!"

After we got a bite to eat, Alice took us through the city to a place called Polo Lounge. It looked pretty nice, and I liked the music – it was all 70s and 80s era dance. This could be fun, I thought.

We went in and ordered drinks at the bar. Alice leaned forward when we reached the bar and attempted to do the whole 'flash some cleavage and get a free drink' bit; but the bartender didn't seem to be going for it.

"Hello," Alice flirted. "Oh, aren't you a strong, virile man? Don't suppose you'd like to get me and my friends a few drinks would you?"

The bartender looked unimpressed – but Alice put in the orders, undeterred.

"That'll be £36, please."

Alice gave the bartender a death glare, but handed the cash over. I was trying not to laugh.

"What was his deal? That always works in Dublin and London!"

"Well, I don't think she liked it when you called her a man," I said.

"That was a woman?"

"Yes," I said, motioning to everyone around us. "I don't know if you've noticed, Alice, but this is a gay bar."

She looked up and saw that it was true; every couple on the dance floor was same-sexed. There were people in corners, trying discreetly make-out with their partners. Not that I cared, but I was pretty sure Alice wasn't aware she had chosen a gay bar for our outing.

"Do you want to leave?" She asked.

"No, I like it; besides, it's not like we're here to find men, anyway."

"Speak for yourself," Lauren, one of my schoolmates, said.

We stayed for about two hours before Alice was pulling me out the door.

"Why? I like it here," I whined.

"This is a pub crawl," she said. "It's time to crawl to the next pub!"

We found ourselves at a place called Hudson's; it looked like a dive bar.

"I don't know about this," I said. "Six girls, dressed like we are, in a place like this? It doesn't sound safe."

"We won't stay long," Alice said. "This place has the cheap booze, though. We'll just get a few, quick drinks and split."

I wasn't fully convinced, but I was tipsy already, so I followed her inside. Once we were at the bar, I started to fell more at ease; that is, until I felt a tap on the shoulder and heard a voice whisper, "don't I know you?"

EPOV

"Leave me alone, Tanya," I said, grabbing my drink and walking away from her.

"Where's Bella?"

"None of your damn business."

"Uh-oh! Trouble in paradise?"

"No, we're both at our bachelor and bachelorette parties, if you want to know."

"So, she's at some other bar, probably getting felt up by some random bloke on a dance floor?"

"No, she's in Glasgow with friends."

"She doesn't deserve you." Tanya was dangerously close to stepping on my last nerve.

Then, she officially stomped all over it, "You know, I wouldn't have lost your baby."

I flipped around; I've never wanted to hit a woman in my life, but I wanted nothing more than to punch Tanya in the face. How dare this bitch talk about my Bella like that? I turned quickly and found Jasper on the dance floor; I grabbed him by the arm and said, "We're leaving."

"Why?"

I gave him a hard look and he turned to the rest of our party, "OK men, we're out of here!"

BPOV

This was the guy Edward had warned me about: James.

Edward said to run if I ever see him again; I had to let Alice know the kind of danger we were in; I pulled her aside and said, "Alice, we have to go now."

"What's going on? Who's he?"

"He's not a good guy; he used to be friends with Edward. He's the reason Edward got in all that trouble before."

She looked over my shoulder at the blond man standing against the bar, staring at us intently.

"He does look like a bad guy; let's get the girls and get out of here."

We tried to discreetly make our way through the crowd to where the rest of the girls were sitting with some guys they had met at the bar.

"We've got to go," Alice called.

"NO!" They protested. "We just got here."

"Well, we're leaving," Alice said. "Bella doesn't like it here, and it's her night."

Angela popped up from her seat immediately, but the other three just sat there.

"Hey, why don't we meet up with you guys later?" Lauren asked.

"Oh, that's really nice!" Alice said, exasperated. "You came out to celebrate Bella's upcoming wedding, and now you're going to just sit here with these assholes while she's leaving?"

Lauren gave her a haughty look but didn't say anything else – nor did she try and get up from her seat.

"Let's just leave them," I whispered to Alice. "I really don't care right now. I have you and Angela, that's all that matters right now."

"OK," she said. "Let's go."

We were headed for the door, but James cut us off.

"Leaving so soon?"

Alice got in front of me, "Move out of the way before I call for security."

"Cheeky little bint, aren't you? I like girls like that."

"Is that supposed to be flattering? You really need to work on those pick up lines, mate."

Alice pushed past James with more force than he was expecting and got us out to the street. James called from the door.

"So, I suppose you know all about what Eddie and I have been through, yeah?" He called; I was trying to walk away, but I felt compelled to respond.

"Yes," I replied.

He smirked, "I bet he blames me for everything, doesn't he?"

"Are you saying you're not to blame? That you didn't pressure him into most of the things he did?"

"He was a big boy; he could have made up his own mind."

I laughed sardonically at that, "yeah, I'm sure he could have; but you seem like just the kind of asshole who is good at manipulating minds. But now you're frustrated, because Edward won't let you manipulate him anymore; right?"

James gave me a deadly glare; I knew I had got to him, at least a little bit. We all turned and walked back to the hotel.

**I'm running out of steam here, folks. But, rest assured that the chapter with the wedding will be up by tomorrow night!**


	23. Chapter 23

For some odd reason, fanfiction

**For some odd reason, wasn't sending e-mail alerts to me – and, I guess some of you were experiencing the same frustration. But, hopefully, everything is operational once more.**

**(And thanks to dvorndran for calling attention to the webmasters for me! Love ya!)**

**EPOV**

**Friday, December 19**

I had been trying to make it a point not to accept too many gifts from Carlisle – save that wicked flat screen telly he gave us – but Mum was adamant that I let him pay for the rehearsal dinner. And I had to admit, Mum was right – Carlisle got us into Ascot's.

Bella's eyes lit up as we walked in, "Oh, this is too much. Carlisle didn't have to do all this."

"Well, you know him; not one to make subtle gestures," I said.

We sat and enjoyed our four courses before Carlisle stood up and tapped his glass to get everyone's attention.

"Pardon me, everyone? I just wanted to say a few words about the happy couple," he said. "First of all, there is Bella; she came to work for me this summer looking after my children, Emmett and Rosalie. And, she was beyond a dream come true; she took my two children and transformed them completely. You see, we had all been still reeling over the death of my beautiful wife, Esme, and we all seemed to be keeping our feelings bottled up. I withdrew from my own children, and they were becoming resentful because of it. But, Bella encouraged all of us to talk openly and, really, helped save this family. Bella, I am forever in your dept. To Bella!"

Everyone raised their glasses to toast Bella as I leaned forward and nuzzled her neck gently.

"And then, there is Edward," he began; I wondered where he was going with this, "My one and only nephew. Those who know Edward know that he didn't get the greatest start in life – his father abandoned him and my sister at an early age, and that left him an angry young man. He's been in some trouble; he's had his run-ins with the authorities."

He paused and looked down for a moment before continuing, "He's also shown a great deal of growth over the past year. He's proven himself to be a man who can overcome his past; a man who can change for the better. I know a lot of that change has to do with Bella; but, Edward, that is what a good woman can do for you, make you a better man. To Edward!"

Once again, everyone raised their glasses. I took a sip of champagne and noticed that Bella was gazing at me, "I love you."

"I love you more," I said, kissing her gently.

It was 11 p.m. by the time everyone was leaving the restaurant, I was eager to back to the hotel room we had booked and get to bed; the ceremony was set for noon, and I wasn't about to look like death warmed over when my beautiful angel sees me at the alter.

Bella and Alice took the first taxi to the hotel, while Jasper and I waited for another. That's when I felt a tap on my shoulder – I had sensed the evil presence coming for some time, though.

"Eddie! You've been avoiding me, you bloody wanker!"

"That's because I want nothing to do with you, James! Please leave me alone?!"

Jasper was at my side, ready to help me if a fight broke out.

"Don't be like that, mate! We've got history, you and me; you can't just erase that!"

"No, unfortunately I can't," I replied. "But, I can put it past me and move on with my life; like you should be doing."

"This is my life, mate," his voice got suddenly dangerous. "You know why? Because you can't just put it past you! It's part of who you are; you'll always be a good-for-nothing, just like me."

"Actually," Jasper said. "He's nothing like you; I know you must not have the intelligence to be anything more than a petty criminal, but Edward does. So, if you don't start leaving my friend alone, I may have to take drastic measures."

Jasper stood there, nonchalantly holding a cigarette; James suddenly started laughing so hard, he doubled over. "Tiny little prick like you? How are you going to take 'drastic measures' against me?"

Without a word, Jasper had James down with his face against the sidewalk. He was holding his right arm behind him and had his foot placed firmly on James' shoulder – keeping him in his position.

"Oi!" James yelped. "Get off me, prick!"

"Now, you have two options here, James," Jasper said, giving James' arm a little yank for added effect. "You can, a) leave Edward alone and never try to contact him again; or, b) I snap your arm out of socket, and then you leave Edward alone and never try to contact him again. Which is it going to be?"

"Let me go!" James yelled.

"Wrong answer," Jasper said, starting to twist James' arm even further over his head.

"Stop! Stop! Fine! I'll leave Edward alone; just get the fuck off of me!"

Jasper cautiously let James up and we both stood rigid – ready if James was just trying to get a cheap shot in. He just stared at us with a disgusted look, "You're lucky, Cullen. But just you wait. One day, you'll come crawling back, begging me for help. And I might even give it to you," he smirked, "That is, if you let me have a shot at that pretty, American bird of yours."

He turned to walk away, but I stopped him my flinging him around and crushing my fist into his jaw. He spun once before falling onto the pavement. Jasper and I got in the next taxi and left.

**BPOV**

I wasn't sure how I was going to get to sleep the night before my wedding; Alice, being the ever-present genius that she is, slipped a pill into my hand.

"It's a sleeping pill, I think you'll need it," she said.

"Thanks."

And it certainly worked, I went to bed, and the next thing I knew, I was being shaken by an overtly cheerful Alice.

"Wakey, wakey! It's your wedding day!"

I shot up in bed, afraid I had slept too late, "What time is it?"

"Its 7 a.m., don't worry. You won't be late for your own wedding; I'd never let that happen."

I threw the covers off and ran into the bathroom for a shower. I knew I had plenty of time before I had to get my hair done, but I was too excited to take things slow today.

I was in and out in less than 10 minutes and I sat on the edge of my bed in a hotel robe, diligently drying my hair with my towel when Alice came in with a tray full of food.

"Breakfast is served," she smiled.

"You're kidding, right? You think I'm going to be able to eat anything before the wedding? I am way too nervous!"

"You have to eat something," she said. "Or you'll pass out during the ceremony!"

She was right; I picked up a piece of toast and nibbled on it while I flipped on the TV to distract myself. Alice set the tray on the table and turned towards the bathroom, "OK, my turn for a shower."

Once she closed the door behind her, I looked over in the direction of the bathroom and noticed the off-white garment bag hanging on the wall: my wedding gown. I set the piece of toast down on the bed beside me and brushed the crumbs off of my hands with the bathrobe before I stood up and walked to it; the most stunning piece of clothing I would ever own.

It was strapless with an empire waist; it had lace covering the entire length and a dark red sash under the bust. I stood there and admired it – and lost track of time in the process. Alice bounded back into the room to find me in a trance.

"Earth to Bella," she said. "You're under wedding gown hypnosis again."

I shook my head and brought myself back to reality. "What?"

Alice sighed, "Nothing; we've got an appointment at the salon at 9."

"OK," I said, still a bit dazed.

I threw some clothes on and we headed out the door.

We were about half-an-hour early for the appointment, but still had to wait for Angela, Rosalie and Mum to get there. I had originally planned for more bridesmaids, but – after their behavior in Glasgow – subsequently asked them all not to even bother attending.

Angela pulled up in her car 15 minutes after we arrived; a moment later, Carlisle's car dropped Mum and Rosalie off at the front door.

We all had a marvelous time getting our hair and makeup done – even Rosie got some mascara and lip gloss for the occasion. It was the perfect way to put myself at ease before the big event.

**EPOV**

Jasper, Carlisle, Emmett and I got to the hall at 10:45 a.m.; we did have to make a detour to pick Bella's dad up from the airport. He could only stay for two days, but I was glad he made it at all. At least Bella could have one parent there; and Charlie's the one who won't cause any drama.

I hadn't slept much; what with the James encounter and just plain nerves. I got to the men's dressing room and sat in a wing-backed chair, just thinking.

"Something wrong, son?" Charlie asked.

"Oh…no, I'm fine; thanks Charlie," I said.

"Wedding day jitters? They happen to the best of us, son. Don't worry; it's perfectly normal to be a little scared."

"But, I've never loved anyone as I love Bella; how could I be feeling any apprehension at all?"

"Like I said, just nerves," he said. "It probably has more to do with your excitement than anything. But, once you see Bella walking down the aisle towards you, smiling sweetly – as if you two are the only people in the room – you'll feel completely at ease."

I nodded, "You're right; I'm just over thinking things, as usual."

Charlie and Carlisle both chuckled.

"Well," Carlisle said. "Rest assured that you won't have to think again from here on out; you'll have a wife to do all that for you."

**BPOV**

At 11:55, I was officially a nervous wreck.

Charlie knocked on my door and asked if I was ready, "Depends on what you're talking about," I said.

He laughed as he opened the door, "Well, I just mean are you dressed, because I know you're ready to get married."

"You do?"

"Absolutely," he said. "I don't think I've ever seen two people who love each other as much as you and Edward."

I smiled, "Thanks Dad."

We linked arms and made our way to the hall.

At 12 sharp, the doors to the hall flew open as the wedding processional started playing. And there was my Edward, waiting for me with his trademark, crooked smile on his face.

**EPOV**

Angel…now that's an understatement. My Bella is a goddess; she's Venus, Freya and Isis all rolled into one. She glowed as she lifted her eyes to meet mine, a single tear falling down her cheek. Those brown eyes shone with the love she felt for me; and I was forever lost.

I wasn't aware of what went on during the ceremony, only that Bella was standing there, her eyes locked on mine, and that in a few moments we would officially be husband and wife. I did manage to slip in the vows and the "I do's," but that part wasn't nearly as important as hearing, "You may now kiss the bride."

I slipped a hand around to the back of Bella's neck as I pulled her in and kissed her deeply. This is it, we are joined forever.

We rushed out the door and made our way to the reception. The night continued to be something of a blur; Bella danced with Charlie, I danced with Mum, Jasper and Alice toasted us with their usual displays of wit – often just bordering on poor taste – and then, the night started to wind down.

I was dancing with Mum again; I twirled her around the dance floor as Jasper showed up at my side with Bella.

"Mind if I cut in, mate?" Jasper asked. "You've been hogging Mum all night."

I relinquished Mum to Jasper as Bella placed her hands in mine; I thought she wanted to dance, but she towed me off the floor and into a secluded corner.

"I think we've made enough of a presence here, don't you?" She asked.

"What do you mean?"

She leaned closer to me. "I'm tired, and I want you to take me back to the hotel and do naughty things to me."

"Whatever you say, Mrs. Cullen."

I took her hand and dragged her out of the reception hall. There was a limo waiting to take us back to the hotel; little did Bella know what I had in store for her tonight. The limo took off, but in the opposite direction of the hotel we had stayed in last night.

"Where are we going?" Bella asked. "The hotel's back that way."

"We're staying at the Malmaison tonight, Love."

She raised one eyebrow at me, "What are you up to, Mr. Cullen?"

"You'll see soon enough."

We got to the Malmaison and Bella looked absolutely gobsmacked.

"Edward, this place must cost a fortune. How can you afford all of this?"

"Saved up a bit," he said. "Since we can't go on a honeymoon right now; consider this a substitution until we can afford the real thing."

She looked apprehensive, but nodded as we walked up to the desk to check in.

"Room for Cullen," I said.

"Yes, Mr. Cullen; suite 2 on the top floor," the concierge said handing me the card key. "Enjoy your evening."

As we got into the elevator, it occurred to me that Bella was still in her wedding dress; I'd have to remedy that. I placed my hand on the back of her neck and slowly trailed it down to the top of the zipper. I began to tug the zipper down as Bella leaned into me and rested her head on my shoulder. By the time we got to the suite, I had the zipper all the way down – and the dress was off just seconds after we got into the room.

Bella stood before me in a white bustier with matching panties; I was grateful that she opted out of wearing any kind of stockings, which would have complicated matters greatly.

I shrugged out of my jacket and tie with surprising ease and was unbuttoning my shirt when I remembered that there should be a bath waiting for us. I took Bella by the hand and pulled her into the bathroom, there were candles lit and bubbles covering the surface of the water in the gigantic Jacuzzi tub. Perfect, I thought.

I turned to Bella and began unsnapping the clasps on the back of her bustier as she went for the buttons on my shirt. We finished at the same time and she started to unbuckle the belt on my pants. I let her get the trousers down before I attempted to rid her of her panties; I made quick work of them and then kissed my way up to her hair where I began removing the pins keeping it all in place. I loved the style, and appreciated the time it took to put it together, but I'd much rather see my goddess with her hair down, framing that beautiful face.

Once her hair was down, I lifted her into my arms and slowly dipped her into the water. She settled herself into a comfortable position as I took my boxers off and started to get in myself.

I shifted her so she lay on top of me and I had my back against the side of the tub. She straddled my legs and gently eased me inside of her; slowly, she started rolling her hips over mine.

Luckily, the water wasn't filled all the way to the top of the tub, because as Bella began to pick up speed it would have covered the bathroom floor with an enormous amount of water.

She leaned forward and held me tightly to her she started to rock her hips quickly; I grabbed those wonderful hips and helped her move even faster. Our bodies were sliding against each other in the warm water, and the feeling of all that I was experiencing was indescribable.

**BPOV**

Making love in the bathtub was amazing.

I had been hoping we would do things we had never tried before, and Edward did not disappoint me.

After we emerged from the bath, he carried me into the bedroom and put me down on the bed. The scented oils that were in the bath water were still all over our bodies, which made our sexual encounters even more pleasurable than they had been before. Edward's body was wonderfully slick as he braced himself above me and entered me.

I raised my legs so they wrapped around his waist as he pounded into me; there wasn't that lovely friction that usually happens when Edward loses himself in our love-making, but this felt just as good.

And those wonderful feelings lasted for the rest of the night.

I'm starting to wind this story down, now; I kind of feel it's run its course. The next few chapters should wrap things up (and show a glimpse of Edward and Bella's future – at least, in my vision)


	24. Chapter 24

EPOV

**OK, folks; this will be the last chapter. Sorry, but fear not, I'm going to start a new story. Stay tuned until the end to read my new story idea.**

**EPOV**

Bella and I spent the weekend lying around the flat watching movies, taking nice, long baths and making love. I'm not sure how many times we even bothered to eat anything.

When we woke up on Monday morning, we gave a simultaneous groan of frustration.

"That wasn't enough time," Bella said, turning to bury her face in my chest.

"I know, but sometimes you just have to face reality; right, Love?"

"No…" she whined. "Just one more day; call in sick, please?"

"I can't, Love. Ben has already covered for me so much, I feel guilty asking him for one more day."

"He'll say yes," she said, looking up at me with those irresistible, brown eyes.

"I know he will; that's why I feel so bad."

I kissed her gently before disentangling myself from her arms. She gave a cute little whimper as I rose from the bed and made my way to the shower. I washed myself while having wonderful flashbacks of this weekend; the way my angel hardly ever left myself, how I held her in my arms every night.

When I walked back into the room, Bella was back to sleep. I kissed her softly and went to work.

All day at work, I was distracted. I was constantly daydreaming about Bella; I'd passing a DVD box or a CD case or see someone who vaguely resembled Bella, and I'd be lost for about 15 minutes.

Ben noticed and sometime around 3 p.m. he called me on it, "Thinking about someone?"

"Perhaps," I said with a smirk.

"Awww, young love; you two are so cute it's sickening."

"Thanks mate."

We chuckled as Tanya walked up from organizing CDs.

"OK, I'm done; can I go home early?"

She had been particularly stroppy these days; Ben said he thinks it's due to my new marital status. That made me nervous, she's never been easy to deal with, but I was hoping my getting married wouldn't make her want to do something crazy. Her remarks at the bar last week was bad enough.

"Please do," Ben said. "You've been a little…off today."

"I'm fine, just tired," she said, irritated.

"Whatever; see you tomorrow."

"Bye," she turned to me, "Bye Edward."

"Bye."

I kept my eyes down; I felt I needed to make my point clear on the whole 'I want nothing to do with you' issue. She walked out, and the rest of the day went by smoothly. After work, however, was a different story.

I decided to just walk home, it was only a little over a mile, and I happened to pass by a flower shop. I stopped in to grab some lilies for Bella; and as I walked out, I saw a dark figure round the corner towards me. I ducked out of the way just in time for James fist to run into a brick wall.

"Ah! Bullocks!" He cried, grabbing his hand in pain.

"You've lost you're edge, mate! Not as fast as you used to be!"

"Sod you!" He said, lunging at me and throwing us both back into a set of garbage bins on the side of the street. We tussled around on the ground, throwing sloppy punches and kicks at each other.

A couple of cops came by and broke us apart.

"Alright, you two, what's this all about then?"

"He attacked me," I said, struggling against the cop who was holding my arms back.

"That's a lie, he came at me first!" James countered; always a coward, through and through.

"OK then, let's see some identification," the first cop said.

My arm was released so I could reach into my pocket and take out my ID – James did the same.

"Let's see here, 'Edward Anthony Cullen,'" he said and looked at me over the top of the card. "And 'Jeffery Simon Lewis.'"

I shot a look at James, who smirked back at me; just like him to use a fake ID.

"Wait, Jeffery Simon Lewis?" One of the other cops asked.

The first cop looked again, "Yes."

James started to look panicked.

"Isn't he wanted in Essex for armed robbery?"

"Yeah," another cop chimed in, "I remember that name! It was on the telly."

I smirked back at James; he got sloppy – couldn't keep his fake identities straight. He was trying to squirm his way away from the cop holding him back.

"Let's run this, just to be sure," the head cop said. "But, put him in the back of the car, just to be safe."

It took two cops to get James in the car; then the cop behind me asked, "What about this one?"

"Just let him go," the other cop said. "But, if I ever see you getting in a row again, I'm going to do you in, you hear me sonny Jim?"

"Yes sir," I said as the cop released me.

I smiled at James before walking back into the shop to replace the flowers he had ruined.

**BPOV**

I finally crawled out of bed around noon. I wasn't even going to try to make it to my late classes today, so I called Alice to go for lunch.

We met at 1 and she was giddy to hear all the details of my weekend. I was actually amazed that I felt close enough to someone to talk about my sexual encounters. But, I wasn't about to tell even Alice everything.

We chatted about things so long, I hadn't even noticed how late it had become – it was 3 o'clock before we left the pub.

"So, want to go shopping or something, Mrs. Cullen?" Alice asked.

"Only if you stop calling me that."

"I thought you liked it," she protested.

"I do, but not when you use it every time you refer to me," I replied.

"Fair enough," she said. "So, shopping?

We decided on going to Soho, even though I was convinced we wouldn't find much either one of us could afford. Alice dragged me into an Agent Provocateur and started pulling me around the shop excitedly.

"Oh, we should try and find you something to wear for Edward," she squealed.

"It's been my experience that he prefers it when I'm not wearing anything," I countered.

"That's true of any man about any woman, Bells; but I want to find you something cute, nonetheless."

I say a nighty hanging near me and took it off the rack; it was nice – a babydoll-style gown in red. Then I looked at the price tag.

"£250!! OK, I think we need to go somewhere else, Alice! I have never and will never spend this much money on pajamas!"

"No; please Bella? We can find something less expensive, I promise!" She begged. "They have to have a clearance section somewhere."

Alice swiveled her head around the shop, looking for anything resembling a sale sign.

"Oh, there it is," she said.

We made our way back to find three girls digging through the racks. They all dressed like teenagers, even though it was clear they were my age or older. The talked loudly in heavy East End accents and flipped their peroxide blond hair around with just about every gesture.

They didn't look up when we walked over – too engrossed in their own inane chatter – and they were taking up all the room around the sales rack.

Alice cleared her throat to get their attention and one looked up with a sneer. "Yeah?"

"Other people would like to look at the sales items, ladies," Alice's voice was so sweet yet condescending, I had to stop myself from snickering.

The other two looked up then; I recognized one to be none other than Tanya. Great, honestly the last person I wanted to see today – or ever.

She smirked at me, "Fancy meeting you here."

I turned to Alice with a hard look, "Let's go."

Without a word, she followed me out the door; Tanya, of course, was hot on our heels.

"What? No hello?"

I continued to ignore her as we made our way towards a coffee shop on the corner. I just needed to be in a public place, so I would be less tempted to slug her.

"Oi! This slag is rude, isn't she?" One of Tanya's friends taunted.

Alice started to turn around, but I grabbed her arm and continued to walk, we made it to the coffee shop and I went up to get something to calm myself down.

"Bella, who is that?"

"Tanya, she works with Edward; hits on him constantly and gets all upset because he won't flirt back. But it doesn't stop her from trying to get me to believe that he's been getting fresh with her."

Alice's eyes got that mischievous look in them, "So, why walk away? Why not mess with her?"

"Let's just ignore her," I said as the slag squad entered; gazing at us evilly as they sat at a table near the door.

I ordered a green tea and Alice a Chai latte; we sat at the other end of the shop and waited.

"Are we just going to sit here and wait for them to leave?" She whispered to me over her drink.

"Yup," I replied.

"You're no fun now that you're married."

"I was fun before?" I asked, causing Alice to choke on her Chai.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Tanya get up and go up to the counter; she was watching me and smirking. She was plotting something.

Alice turned her head and watched her along with me as Tanya whispered something to the guy behind the counter. She leaned forward and pushed her chest out towards him – oh yeah, she's up to no good; and she was trying to get this poor coffee monkey in on it, too.

However, the guy didn't look too impressed with her. As she stood there, face all pouty, pushing her boobs out further by squeezing her arms together, the guy looked at me and then looked back at Tanya. He shook his head at her; I notice her face drop and she pulled back away from the counter.

"Fine, just get me a non-fat, sugar-free caramel latte, then!" She spat at him. He turned to get her order, and she turned to glare at me. Alice raised her cup to Tanya in a mock toast.

Tanya got her drink and came over to our table.

"So, were you trying to get him to spit in some drinks and send them our way?" Alice asked.

"Whatever; look, let's not fight, OK?"

"Who's fighting?" I asked. "I have Edward; I think I've pretty much already won."

She put her hand on her hip and shifted to one side, "You have Edward for now."

"Forever, actually," I said, showing her my ring.

She sneered at it, then turned to smile at me, "Well, aren't you just the lucky one, then?"

"Indeed."

"Just…so…lucky," she leaned forward with every word, and then suddenly tipped her cup over and spilled it down the front of my shirt – it was scalding. Tanya and her friends started cackling as Alice stood up and grabbed Tanya by her hair.

"Hey! Take it outside!" The manager called.

"With pleasure," Alice responded, pulling Tanya out the door by her hair; Tanya's little friends started going crazy, trying to get Alice off of Tanya.

I followed them out to find Alice holding Tanya at arms length, while trying to fend off the other girls. I decided she needed some help.

"I'll take that," I told Alice, reaching for Tanya's hair. I pulled Tanya back so she was facing me and forced her to look at me. Before I could say anything, she took a swing at me, which I blocked with surprising ease. She tried it again and I tugged her hair harder.

"You try to hit me again, and I'm pulling this nasty hair out, you hear me?" Wow, when did I become such a badass?

She stopped struggling and looked at me.

"Right then," I began, "Why don't we start with how you're going to leave Edward alone. He's a happily married man, now; you wouldn't want to look like some cheap, husband-stealing tart, would you?"

She didn't respond.

"WOULD YOU?" I yelled, tugging her hair again.

"NO!" She cried.

"Good and you're also going to leave me alone, aren't you? When ever you see me, Edward or Alice, you're just going to go in the opposite direction, right?" I tugged again.

"Right!"

"Good girl, you're learning," I said, letting go of her hair.

Her friends ran forward and grabbed her hands, pulling her away from me. As they ran towards the tube station, one looked over her shoulder and yelled, "SLAG!"

Some girls just don't learn.

I got home to find an empty flat. 4:30, half-an-hour until Edward gets home; I should start getting dinner started.

I was getting some bread out to make some sandwiches while the soup I made simmered on the stove when Edward walked in. I ran to him and jumped into his arms, planting kisses all over his face.

"Hello, my lovely wife; did you miss me?" He laughed.

"You have no idea," I said as I continued my assault.

"I'm sure I have some idea," he said, carrying me to the couch.

He began gently sucking and nibbling on my neck when I remembered I was trying to make dinner; but he wouldn't let me up.

"Edward," I whined. "The soup is ready; I need to take it off the stove."

"Leave it," he said with a husky voice. "I need my wife right now."

I pulled off his shirt; when he returned to his spot on my neck, I started to scratch my nails down his back. "Not as much as I need my husband."

**Epilogue: Three years later.**

**EPOV**

"Dada!" I heard the unmistakable sound of tiny bare feet slapping against the tiled kitchen floor as Declan ran towards me.

He would be two-years-old soon; I couldn't believe how fast time was flying. But, I was sure to make the most of it these days.

I picked my son up and threw him gently into the air; as I caught him, he started giggling uncontrollably. That signaled to me that he'd like me to do it again – I complied. Once my arms got tired, I brought him close for a kiss before placing him down next to me.

"Bella!" I called up the stairs.

It was nice to be able to afford an actual house – now that Bella was a teacher and I got a job working with MI5 (yes, the ex-con is now working on the side of the law).

I heard Bella's footsteps reach the edge of the stairs; I looked up to see my lovely wife descend towards me – well, really, I saw her swollen stomach first. We would have a sister for Declan in about a month.

I ran up to meet Bella halfway and helped her the rest of the way down. I hated that she insisted on going up and down the stairs so much, she should really be spending most of her time off of her feet. But, I couldn't say anything to her about it; it upset her too much.

"Ugh! When is this baby supposed to be born?" She whined.

"Soon, Love; patience."

"Easy for you to say, you're ankles aren't so swollen they've become a part of your calf."

"They have not, Love! Stop, you look beautiful!"

"I…have… cankles! And a huge fat stomach! And I'm tired of having to sleep on my back or side all the time! I am a stomach sleeper; always have been!"

Bella was really into ranting these days; I found it best to just let the rants run their course. She was always more pleasant afterward.

I got her down on the couch and Declan bounced up to sit on her lap.

"Mumma!" He laughed.

"How's my baby boy?" She asked as she started tickling his sides. He squealed and tried to squirm away from her.

"Well," she said. "I guess I'd better go make dinner."

"Nope, just sit; I've got it covered."

"Edward, you've been at work all day; I'm not going to make you cook dinner, too."

"Who said I'm cooking?" I asked with a wicked grin. "I just said I've got it covered."

As if on cue, the door opened to reveal Alice, Jasper and their 15-month-old daughter, Mia.

"Hello, mummy!" Alice cried. "We've brought food!"

Jasper carried the bags of food to the kitchen where he and I started getting plates and things ready.

**BPOV**

Alice brought Mia over and sat next to me and Declan. My son's eyes lit up when he saw Mia, I didn't think it was possible for 2-year-olds to have crushes.

"Look who's here, Declan," I said. "It's Mia!"

"Meee-yaa," he said in his toddler's broken speech.

"Mia, can you say hi to Declan?" Alice asked.

Mia just hid her face in her mother's neck; I was still amazed that out-going little Alice got such a shy little girl.

The boys brought out the food then; plates of pasta and bread sticks – my mouth was watering already. Although, I had one request for Edward, "Baby, will you grab my stuff?"

"Oh yeah, sorry Love," he said, walking back to the kitchen; he walked back out with a small bottle with orange-red liquid in it.

"What's that?" Jasper asked with a mouthful of pasta.

"Chalula, it's hot sauce from America," I said. "I've been suddenly craving it on everything, so I had Charlie send me a couple bottles."

"Can I have some?" Alice asked.

"Sure." I passed her the bottle.

Alice put a drop of it on the pasta sitting on her fork, and then popped it into her mouth. After a moment, she had a surprised look on her face.

"Hot?" Edward laughed.

Alice swallowed, "Yeah! Jeez, how can you eat that, Bella?"

"I don't know, it's not that bad to me; and it's nothing compared to Tabasco."

"Weird Americans," Jasper remarked.

"Hey," I said. "I'm officially a Brit now; I've got the papers to prove it."

"Fine…weird Brits," Jasper said.

"That's better," I said.

The place I was sitting suddenly became warm and moist. I dropped my fork and looked at Edward.

"Love? What is it?"

"I think my water just broke!"

"Oh my god!" Alice cried, jumping up to grab Mia. "We need to get her to the hospital!"

"OK, calm down; we've got time," I said as Edward pulled me to my feet. I grimaced at what I must have done to the couch, but I didn't dare look back now.

Declan and Mia saw the panic around them and both started crying. Jasper picked Declan up and tried to sooth him as Edward rushed me to the car.

**8 hours and 15 minutes later**

It was 1:45 in the morning; I was lying on the bed in the maternity ward holding McKenna Jessica Cullen – all 7 lbs., 1 oz. and 19 inches of her. And she is perfect!

**And that is the end of this story, friends! I love the responses I got to this; and I appreciate everyone who read it.**

**In fact I appreciate it so much, that my next story idea is all about fan participation.**

**You see, these two stories I have written have been all about certain daydreams and fantasies that I have had about Bella and Edward. But, I want to know some of yours.**

**What are some scenarios that you'd like to see the Twilight clan be put in to? If I get a good consensus about this, I'll post the first chapter soon! And I'll always ask for input and thoughts from all of you to help me write the story.**


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